I love music. If you read this you know that. I recently watched a youtube video and it inspired me to write something about the haters in the world.
Lindsey Stirling is a violinist that I really enjoy listening to. She has been around for a while now, and if you don’t know who she is you should look her up. She plays a variety of styles, but mostly it is fairly rock, dubstep, electronic. Her music videos are also very well done, and I think add a good layer to her music and to her as a performer.
For those of you that don’t know her background she was first “seen” on America’s Got Talent back in 2010. She made it pretty far (quarterfinals), but then was voted off by the judges telling her she would never be good enough. She took that to heart and turned her art into a success. But she has dealt with depression and doubt throughout her life. Even though she is a big success now she still deals with doubts. She has touched on this in her music and in her book “The Only Pirate at the Party.”
Another musical group that talks on this Switchfoot. They also happen to be a group I really like. They have a number of songs that touch on the concepts of doubt – in self, in God, in society, in life. But they also always have an underlying message of hope. That hope that comes from a life in Jesus.
I know we all deal with doubts at times. It is hard to “life” at times. When times are good people can come along and say something that can bring you down pretty fast. I don’t suffer too much from this, but it still happens to me at times. I have those days when I am not sure I am cut out for the life I am leading. Or I wonder if there is something else I am supposed to be doing that could be better for my family as a whole.
Well, I recently saw this video by Lindsey Stirling:
It starts with the comments made by the judges on American’s Got Talent. Clearly they are still in her mind all these years later. You get to see her dressed as she was in her early days, and the depression that was inside her. But then she starts to appear in costumes from many of her different music videos, and how her confidence grew. It shows her dancing with her dancing partner from “Dancing with the Stars.” There is a segment where is shows her cracked and broken from her “Shatter Me” album and you can see the sadness in her. But then it blows apart and her is made beautiful and the power of her music flows. Finally there are scenes of her on stage with rows upon rows upon rows of fans listening and watching her play. It is powerful.
This brought me to thoughts of one of the other favorite songs that Switchfoot did, Voices. It is a song about the voices in one’s head that can destroy one’s confidence. It was a great song when it first came out, but then they did a pairing with, yes, Lindsey Stirling and re-recorded it with her. Then they produced a great music video that also addressed negativity they had both experienced. Here is that video:
Give them both a listen. If you are feeling down I hope they will help bring you up. I love listening to voices when I am down on myself, and this is the version I prefer with Lindsey Stirling. I am looking forward to getting Lindsey’s upcoming album I am sure it will be another great one.
Don’t let the negative voices and the haters get you down. Turn those voices of doubt into voices of praise. Look at the good and forget the bad. I know that can be easier said than done but try. I have Christ in my life to help me, but it is still hard sometimes. It will never be easy in the world we live in, but you don’t have to listen to the negative voices and the haters.
God is there for you if you reach out to Him. I have that confidence and trust in God, and that helps so much.