Jonathan Mark Foreman.

Oh my.

Although it brings back good memories, I don’t particularly love Switchfoot’s music. So every time I go to one of their concerts (this is the second time), I really don’t expect much out of it.

And every time, I am blown away by Jon Foreman’s passion for music, his desire to build up the Kingdom through his giftings, and his ability to share his heart with others.

So the purpose of this concert was to watch a short film they made about Jon Foreman’s dream – “25 in 24”. It talks about how he loves music so much that even having a full-time job playing music doesn’t give him enough venue to share all the music he has inside of him. Cue the idea of a whole day of concerts spread throughout his beloved city in places that hold key memories, with the important people of his life, challenging human limits, and connecting with people through music.

It really struck me that the purpose of Jon Foreman’s music was really about expressing his own heart, conversing with God, and building up community around him. And this is new in some ways, because in the environment around me, music wasn’t really about passion. It was about discipline, superiority, and meeting a certain skill standard. That’s not always a bad thing, but in my own life, I realize that has made me feel inferior and unwilling to fail, which in turn makes me unwilling to try new things and grow.

And that hasn’t just been in the area of music. I feel this way about almost everything that I do, be it planning an event, leading a group, taking pictures, drawing, cooking, singing, etc. It’s the reason I feel a deep-seated anxiety about a lot of things I pursue. Because if I don’t meet a certain standard, my efforts have no worth, and I bring nothing to the table.

But with the realization of this fear, I suddenly find that God has gifted me in a multitude of ways, and fear of failure is the only thing keeping me from using these talents to bless and build up those around me. And it is in fact through the failings that I can improve and bless in larger ways each new time.

So that being said, I begin the journey to cast fear out of my life, and use that which God has blessed me with to encourage, to grow, and to create.

Thank you, Abba Father.

-G