take this heart

So, I know I’ve been posting lots lately about the song I have in the one and only CBC Music Searchlight competition (a free contest put on by THE music biz here in Canada!). I’m just thrilled and excited beyond belief!! I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the encouragement I’ve had from so many, and for the fact that this great country promotes artistry, provides opportunities, and supports individuals to follow their dreams.  You see, I read yesterday about the devastation happening across the world in the Middle East and was reminded again of the importance of keeping perspective.

You might remember that just over a year ago newsfeeds were peppered with concern about war in the Middle East, specifically Aleppo, Syria- remember the headlines? It was those haunting headlines back in December 2016 that prompted me to look into how I could financially support organizations on the ground. Well, as God often does, He took me in that moment of searching and lead me to a facebook post that changed my life. It was posted by an amazing team called For Hearts and Souls, and it was an urgent request for more nurses to actually go provide medical care for children in a country nearby. And I went.

While on that trip to Kurdistan, I learned about an international relief organization called Preemptive Love Coalition, and I even met one of their staff members at a hospital there! Let me tell you, these people are doing hands-on good, providing for material needs, and are the face of love in places ravaged by tragedy.

A year has passed, and I read a post by PLC yesterday about how there is still war going on, there is still violence, and there are still innocent men, women, and children caught in the crossfire. People with dreams and hopes, for themselves and their loved ones, living in a hellish reality that I CANNOT begin to understand. The newsfeeds are quieter these days regarding that part of the world, so I felt compelled to share something with a personal note. I’ll just leave a link here for you to check out if you’d like to learn more about PLC and how your support can make a difference!  https://preemptivelove.org/

With all that in mind, I will still appreciate the excitement of a contest, because these sorts of things should be enjoyed and celebrated! However, I hope to do so with a fresh awareness of how important it is to balance genuine excitement over each “like” of my song on social media with the reality that there are hurting people all over this planet who need to know that they are loved.

So, in conclusion, I hope you have a chance to listen to the words of my tune “Take This Heart“. I wrote it from a place of desperately wanting God to take this heart of mine and reshape it and rewrite what I know to be true, to have this “loving others” come more naturally, to not get caught up, to not forget, so that my heart would always know God’s goodness in a way that compels me to pass it on. I fail in little and big ways from day to day,  but His grace is sufficient.

With love,

Amy

 

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