Have you ever been to a concert or symphony where the musical experience left you speechless and overflowing with emotions, totally overwhelming you?

I’ve had this experience a few times in my life.

There have been times where tears welled up in my eyes, gently making their way along the contours of my face and cleansing me from the inside out.

At other moments, there has been an indescribable joy radiating from me which words could not explain.

In short, it was pure elation.

What would produce such a response?

The soloist, choir, instrumentalist, symphony, or ensemble simply sang or played their song!

They did what they intended to do.

They did what they were meant to do!

They had a gift to give. It was shared. It had to be heard.

Consider the following scenario.

You have plans to hear Josh Groban and Celine Dion perform at Carnegie Hall in what is being billed as the Two Voices, One Heart Tour – a benefit concert for your favorite charity.

The word AWESOME is running through every fiber of your being at the thought of attending.

The concert is a few weeks away and every time you think of the date on your calendar Carly Simon’s song, Anticipation, plays in your head and comes to life!

You aren’t attending alone as this is a special night for you and your spouse (or significant other), an experience to be shared together.

You arrive at the venue to learn your seats have been upgraded to Front Row-Center.

You nearly pass out at the thought of the sudden change in fortune as these seats are worth some serious cash!

It finally hits you that you will be sitting a few feet away from the performers.

A smile spans your face from “sea to shining sea.”

You will be able to hear every breath they take.

You will see up close and personal every nuance of every move they make.

Your heart is pounding with expectation at what this experience will be like.

You are already thinking – what a great night!

The audience is seated.

The lights are dimmed.

The stage lighting zeroes in on one spot, center stage.

Josh makes his way from stage left; Celine parallels from stage right, both now standing in the illumined circle.

You hear a voice over the PA system.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Celine Dion and Josh Groban!”

You are awestruck.

The audience greets them with anticipatory applause.

The music begins to play.

Josh and Celine face each other.

They lift their mikes toward their mouths, take a deep breath, and you are spellbound as to what you are about to hear.

The sound you hear is – NOTHING!

They came to sing, but the only sound you hear is dead silence.

You are puzzled.

What is going on?

Why aren’t they singing?

When it is all said and done, you finally realize the song they came to sing is trapped inside of each of them – unexpressed.

You are totally and unequivocally disappointed.

You thought you were going to hear a masterpiece.

Instead, you leave not hearing the song buried inside these two powerhouse performers.

Their song remains unsung.

Why do we think the above scenario is odd when most of us leave the music of our lives buried inside of us, unshared?

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, an American physician and poet, acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of his day said this:

“Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.”  

I was first introduced to the above quote several years ago in reading Dan Miller’s blog. What I read has stuck with me ever since.

Dan is the owner and president of 48 Days, a company which specializes in creative thinking for increased personal and business success.

He is also the author of 48 Days to the Work You Love, No More Dreaded Mondays, and co-author of Wisdom Meets Passion.

Listed below are links to two posts Dan wrote which deeply stirred my thinking about the music inside of me which lay dormant and unexpressed. I highly recommend reading them if you find yourself along life’s journey knowing your “music” is trapped inside and waiting to be heard.

Don’t Die With The Music Still In You

Are You Listening For Your Music

I look back at my own life and for a period of time doing so could be summarized in one word – REGRET.

I know I am not alone.

You have been there too with the music inside of you slowly, but surely fading!

For me the story went like this.

I attended college uncertain of the exact path, but with the hope of a safe and promising career.

We were married our senior year (1978) and upon graduation, I found a job which I subsequently quit months later before securing a replacement position.

Dumb mistake, albeit of youth!

I began to kick myself in the proverbial pants.

The lead domino with my choice began to tumble, causing a chain reaction in other life choices.

I finally found replacement work and we relocated to another part of the state (1980).

Instead of exploring and doing what I loved, I began to work for whatever income I could produce to keep the boat afloat.

We began to recover from my error in judgment, along came our children, and life was good (and still is!)

Again, joblessness made an encore visit to my stage (1988). At the time I was working for our church in a fiscal capacity. I loved doing so.

Organizational politics, new to my vocabulary, entered unannounced and I wound up on the outside looking in. I once again lost employment, this time not of my own choosing.

Truthfully, I was devastated as it caught me off guard. I forgave and attempted to move on from this episode in my life.

Little did I realize it, but a silent, insidious virus entered my system undetected only to be discovered nearly twenty one years later (2009).

I secured part-time work in a grocery store to keep the cash flowing and attempted to do my part to keep our heads above water.

No offense to grocery store workers who serve a noble purpose; at the time, it was simply humiliating.

I buried whatever feelings and emotions were stirring.

The once promising song in me began the journey down Unsung Avenue.

Once again, God was faithful and new employment was found (late 1988).

Relocation once again was necessary which resulted in a move to our current location in the spring of 1989.

Jackie also secured her teaching position shortly after moving.

It seemed as if overnight our family went from babies and toddlers, to young children, then to teenagers, and finally into adulthood leaving the home to start lives of their own.

On this journey, much like yours, obligations had to be paid and life moved on.

The ability to dream got lost along the way.

As referenced above, much truth was contained in Holmes statement.

Much time was spent getting ready to live (and living) and time began to run out, or so I thought.

There was no time dedicated to exploring what it meant to really live!

The question, “What was my purpose?”, circled the runway of my mind more times than I could count.

All along I had inside me the promise of John 10:10.

It too remained a dormant seed inside of me:

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (NLT)

For my fiftieth birthday (2007) my family blessed me with a trip to Colorado to attend a Wild at Heart Boot Camp retreat sponsored by Ransomed Heart Ministries.

The Boot Camp was spawned off the highly acclaimed men’s book, Wild at Heart written by John Eldredge.

In my opinion, a must read for every man.

I attended the retreat in the summer of 2008 and made a repeat visit in the spring of 2009 (as they asked me to consider volunteering some time to work the weekend and attend again at a much reduced cost).

It was during a journaling exercise on my second visit where the music inside of me began to be faintly heard.

In the middle of the woods while journaling I heard an inner voice, the voice of God, speak to me.

“It mattered to me.”

Honestly, I was startled.

“What mattered to you?” was my spoken response as I was not thinking of the past.

“The day you lost your job (nearly 21 years earlier) at the church, it mattered to me.”

That particular day not one person had wished me well, said they were sorry things worked out like they did, or took any effort to recognize I was hurting (OK, reeling!)

The virus I mentioned earlier slipped past my radar, but not God’s.

He wanted to validate the experience of my final day, many years later.

The music inside of me which at one time played loudly and subsequently faded now began to echo in the recesses of my heart.

Signs of life began to surface.

Shortly afterward is when I came across the articles Dan Miller wrote.

When I look back on it, they were a God-send, really.

I began to look at life differently. I sought to live intentionally. I determined to allow the music of my life out, to allow it to be heard, and to share it with others.

Have I arrived?

Hardly!

Am I still at the awful spot at which I once was?

Not a chance!

It has taken a lifetime to discover the inner music of my heart, to risk letting it out, and to allow it to be heard.

That’s one of the reasons I write today.

It is my calling. There is much progress to be made. I am now on the path and await the journey ahead.

What about you?

It’s time for you to sing your song as well!

I can take an educated guess life has not turned out how you might have originally expected it, correct?

You have encountered obstacles and setbacks.

You have been disappointed, hurt, and left for dead on the side of the road.

The pain you feel has numbed your heart and is very real.

The concert you were to sing, which was once so promising, has left you in a place where the music won’t come out.

It is trapped inside or so you think.

I have news for you.

It’s in there, waiting to be released.

A suggestion – Let it!

Allow your heart to beat again!

Whatever journey you have taken to this point is the journey you are on.

You matter.

I am going to say it again – YOU MATTER!

You owe it to yourself, and more importantly to others, to allow the music of your life to be heard.

In the course of reading another of Dan’s posts, I stumbled across the story of Susan Boyle.

I saw her story before via one of the major news outlets, but never paid much attention to it.

To lend some perspective, I would encourage you to view her original audition below.

Please take the time to watch the video below. It is deeply moving.

In many ways, it is my story.

It is your story.

During an interview prior to her audition on Britain’s Got Talent, Susan said this:

“I am unemployed. I always wanted to perform in front of a large audience. I am going to make that audience rock!”

Here is the takeaway for me and for you.

We all have a story waiting to be told, a song to be sung!

Our music, whatever that may be in each of our lives, needs to be sung for a waiting world to hear.

• • You have something to offer.
  • Your life can make an impact on another.
  • There may be scoffers, prove them wrong.
  • You can raise some eyebrows as you sing your song.
  • You have it in you to deliver a jaw dropping performance.
  • The world is not only watching you, it is counting on you to offer the hope and inspiration which only you can deliver.
  • Will the music you sing put a lump in another’s throat?
  • Will the onlookers say “Wow!” with their words and actions?
  • Will you walk with your head held high, knowing what you have to offer is worth listening to?

I am calling it out of you.

If you are a teacher, do so to impact tomorrow’s leaders.

If you are a nutritionist or personal trainer, lend your advice as if someone’s life depends on it – as it most likely does!

If you are a Mom or a Dad, parent in such a way to shape the next and future generations.

If you are a musician, by all means sing your song or play your instrument in such a way as to touch the depths of another’s soul.

Although you are not be defined solely by what you do, do it with this in mind and with everything in you.

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians 3:23 (NLT)

It’s time for you to let your music out so others can hear.

I remained trapped for far too long of a time, allowing my music to remain inside.

Thankfully, this is no longer the case.

Why not you?

It is time for YOU to sing YOUR song!

It is a gift which must be expressed so the music does not die within you.