November Quote of the Month
November's quote is one given to me by Bradley Sowash--a friend, colleague and performing artist. In an email exchange about how to balance serving as a church musician and taking pride in success, here's what he shared...
"We work in a very demanding art form and triumphs [over a successful musical performance] are well deserved and I don't think earned pride detracts from the Greater Glory one bit. I think Nelson Mandela said it best in one of my favorite quotes from his 1994 inaugural speech:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-by Marianne Williamson from her book,
Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3 (Pg. 190-191).