The Lord Gave Me This Song (or Poem or Book)

In a church down the street…

The worship team is quietly moving toward the pews but the leader isn’t finished yet. He steps up to the pulpit, smiling and rubbing his hands together. He says, “We have an unexpected treat today. Mary True has a song for us.”

A woman makes her way to the front of the church, beaming. She is clutching a shiny guitar in her heavily-tattooed arms. As the worship leader finishes speaking, she climbs up to the platform. She clears her throat. “Um, I’ve been taking guitar lessons,” she begins. “And last week I was just praying and worshipping the Lord. He’s been showing me so many awesome things, especially about His love and goodness. And He gave me this song. I just had to share it with you. It’s called, ‘Your Goodness is So Good.’”

Mary True begins strumming and singing thus:

“Jesus, You’re good, so awesomely good

You saved me from all my sin.

You’ve given me healing and made me all new.

You gave me a way to begin.”

The tune is simple, the playing rudimentary. Mary’s voice is wobbly and a little flat. Nonetheless, there are sounds of weeping in the pews. While some parishioners sit, stone-faced and rigid, others wipe their tear-stained faces as they gaze up at Mary.

What is happening?

Most of the people in the congregation know something of Mary’s struggles. Some of them have walked with her and prayed for her. She’s been fighting a besetting sin for some time, but she’s making progress. Over the past six months she’s had some significant breakthroughs that she’s shared from the pulpit, to smiles and applause. Her song, her vulnerable sharing, her testimonies to the saving power of Jesus, all resonate with the people, and they are worshipping along with her.

That song, though, is not ready to be shared with the whole world.

It’s… not very good. Outside its context, it’s not likely to resonate with any audience. It does not distinguish itself as a work of art.

Did God give Mary that song? Of course He did. Does that mean that Mary should share it? Maybe not. Maybe that song is just for her. But she really wants to share it. Will her sharing glorify God and bring benefit to the hearers? In her church community, as you can see, it did.

Does this mean Mary should record her song and put it up on YouTube? Possibly. YouTube is a place where anyone, amateur or professional, can post almost anything. Viewers expect a melange of content from all types of posters. If Mary puts her song on YouTube, along with her testimony and raw, authentic updates, she may have the satisfaction of knowing she has blessed others. 

What’s the context?

Should she put it on Spotify? Should she seek a recording contract? I’ll ask the same question: Will her sharing in these contexts glorify God and bring benefit to the hearers? Mary will have to ask God about that, but I think the answer would be no. 

Songs, movies, books, and other works of art by Christians should glorify God and bring benefit to others. They are more likely to succeed in a professional context if they are excellent.

What is excellent art?

How would you define excellence in art? Opinions vary. I think it should include the following criteria: mastery of skills and techniques (craftsmanship); a sense of design; a professional approach to presentation; respect for viewers/readers/hearers (taking their sensibilities, expectations, and understanding of words and symbols into account); and adherence to standards set by other professionals. 

If Mary is putting her song “out there” as a testimony to bless other Christians, she may succeed. If she is entering into a realm of professional artists, however, she may do more harm than good. 

What is an excellent book?

Readers, consider for just a minute how you feel about a half-baked book. To start with, the cover is a confusing conglomeration of images and fonts; it’s not clear what the book is about or what genre it’s in; the manuscript contains errors in spelling and punctuation. Worse, the prose is wooden. The premise looks promising, but you wish the author had exerted more effort to make it really good. You don’t respect the work or the writer.

But how do you respond to a carefully-written, thoroughly proofed book with a cover that looks like it was designed by a professional? You read the jacket copy and you have a good idea of the book’s genre and what to expect. You flip through the pages and the prose pulls you in. This writer put in the effort to make it really good. Even if you don’t care for the genre and decide not to buy the book, you walk away respecting the author’s professionalism.

The Lord gave me a story.

So, the Lord gave you a story. What does He want you to do with it? Is it a testimony to encourage believers? If so, those people are your audience. Is it supposed to be sent out beyond your church community? If so, know that your work will be judged, not by your intentions, but by the thing itself, in the reader’s hands or on the shelf. You will not be there to lend context, to explain or clarify. Your work stands or falls on its own merits. Your message has the potential to bring glory to God and encourage others, but a poor execution will put readers off and prevent them getting the message. Excellence, by contrast, allows your message to come through clearly. The reader is not confused or distracted by a rambly opening, a meandering plot, too many characters, a magical system that isn’t consistent, or technical errors.

Christian writers, let’s keep learning, keep gaining new skills and honing the ones we have. Let’s pursue excellence as a means of honoring God and serving our readers. Our stories, our readers, and our Lord are worth nothing less.