Skip to main content

You Chose Me?

I spent some much needed quality time with myself this week. In that time, I embraced silence. I've never been one for a noisy home. I am so busy in so many other areas of my house, when I get home, I desire the serenity of my little Oasis in the middle of this concrete jungle. No TV blaring, no music blasting--just peace.
Now that is not to say that I don't listen to music at all or ever catch up on my shows on Hulu. Matter of fact, I worship daily, listening to music via wireless headphones--communing with God in the sanctuary of my living room. But those are intentional sounds that disrupt silence. Those are the disruptions that I choose.

Today, I allowed the silence to give way to worship. I sat at my keyboard and just let the Spirit move my hands and mouth voice through the silence. Most days, I don't sit down at the piano with an agenda. I sit down with optimism and curiosity--What will God and the ancestors awaken in me today? Sometimes it's a completely new song that gets birthed on the spot. Sometimes an old song comes to mind right away. Other times, like today, I sit in silence, letting the air guide me back to myself.

Today, I was reminded, whilst sitting in silence at the keys, that God chose me--God CHOSE me! God chose ME?! Lil ole me with the long, skinny fingers and the wild imagination. Me, who is imperfect and has fallen short. Me, who's been selfish and inconsiderate. Me, who has run from God many times. Me.

God choose me to do this work--the work of music, the work of ministry...the work of healing. I was reminded of a song I wrote back in Fall of 2015, right around the time I applied to seminary.  In that hotel room in Portland, Oregon, I sat in silence, amazed at what God was doing in my life--amazed that I'd gotten the chance to live many of my dreams--amazed that I was constantly being made aware of dreams I never even knew I had. That God would love me so much that She'd open my eyes to the newness of life and dreaming over and over again!🙌🏾

The song I wrote is called I Choose You. It speaks about God choosing the imperfect us, over and over again, and because of that, we must make the choice to choose God and God's plan for our lives, even if that plan makes us uncomfortable, even if that plan brings sorrowful tears to our eyes, even if that plan means separating from our own plans for the sake of the greater that God has for us. It speaks to the fact that no matter what we've done, how we may have transgressed, nothing can separate us from the endless Love of God!--that if God had to do it all over again, She'd prolly choose us. Isn't that amazing?!

I Choose You, God, because you chose me.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?"

Today (December 1st, 2020), Facebook reminded me that 5 years ago, I wrapped up a 5-week run of Ain't Misbehavin' at Portland Center Stage in Oregon, and flew back to New York City to re-enter my life there. I had just applied to seminary a few days before Thanksgiving and was excited about the possibility of leaning into this strong calling I felt to deepen my theological knowledge. I was still under the illusion that I'd be able to maintain some sort of performance career, so I kept my manager, Greg, and he'd continue sending me out on auditions. I was becoming very picky about what I'd say "yes" to-- Would I go on that national tour of Hamilton that he wanted to send me on or would I go to seminary? Would I leave to do a 9-month stint in After Midnight on an international cruise ship or would I go to seminary?  That was the question over and over again. I decided that I'd still do local stuff in NYC or short stints in other cities. Even as I ente

Cracked Eggs, Nerf Guns, and the Murder of Karon Blake

  Cracked Eggs, Nerf Guns, and the Murder of Karon Blake At the time of my writing this, I am sitting in my big chair, staring at my front window from inside the house, looking at the drippings that have stained the glass from the eggs that some neighborhood kids hurled at my window almost two weeks ago. They were mad at me (I suppose) because they came to steal another package off my front porch in December, but they did not know that it was a package I’d planted with a note inside. I had them on camera stealing several packages on my block during the winter break, including one of mine that contained dog food (I know they were disappointed when they opened that one up ha!). Instead of calling the police or posting their faces on the many neighborhood apps, I decided to take an old amazon box, place a note inside, retape it and leave it on the porch. The note read: “God loves you. I care about you. Stop stealing packages. -Pastor Mac.” I wanted these 3 kids who look like they ar

Exhausting Possibilities: A Sermon by Rev. Mia M. McClain

2 Kings 4:1-7  Delivered on August 15, 2021 at Myers Park Baptist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina I am a child of Grey’s Anatomy. No, not the human anatomy book by Henry Gray; the hit medical television drama. It’s safe to say that because of my obsession with the show, I am who am I, today. Between Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away With Murder, writer and producer Shonda Rhimes was basically my 3rd parent. In Grey’s Anatomy, so many life lessons were taught and learned. I saw so much of myself in the various groundbreaking characters she made room for on primetime television, and Shonda’s theologies and ideologies are on clear display in many of the landmark scenes. One scene, in particular, has had a lasting effect on me.  In the 2nd episode of season 2, a trauma patient comes in who the paramedics have been working on for almost a half hour with no improvement in his condition. The paramedic tells the Chief Resident, Dr. Miranda Bailey, that the patient is practically g