I had an interesting conversation with one of my young 12-year-old students recently. She told me that she was going to try out for the school talent show. I asked her what song she was going to use and she mentioned a song that I hadn't heard. I asked her why she wasn't going to use one of the songs she has been working on, or even use the song she sang in her recital. She said she had sung those songs enough and was tired of them. So that opened up a whole new conversation about why we sing. Do we sing just to conquer a new song and then go on to the next challenge? Not necessarily. Basically, we sing for others. God has given us a talent to be shared and this is the way we should look it at. We pick songs because they speak to us and when we share them, these songs speak to other people. Over the summer, this student learned the song "Hallelujah" and was asked to sing it at summer camp multiple times. She said she really got tired of singing that song, but I told her that was because people loved that song and wanted to hear her sing it again and again. She may as well keep that song on her list because she will probably be singing that song many, many more times in her lifetime. Our songs are "gifts" from us to others. I have sung one song over and over for the last 40 years because people love it. That song has become very precious to me. So, it just makes sense to "try out" for the talent show with a song that has communicated to others in the past, because it will continue to communicate. I hope she looks at her singing in a different light now and that she will continue to find songs that bring joy to others.
