Today is my BIRTHDAY!

I am 51 years old today. A whole lotta birthdays have passed by in between today and when this school picture was taken in 2nd grade. When I came to Nashville to chase my music dream, I got a new education in “the hard knocks school” of the music business. One of the first things I learned is you don’t talk about your age, if you want to be a singer. So, for the longest time I was protective of that little piece of my identity.

But after losing my singing voice in 2011, and walking away from my music dreams for good (or so I thought), I found out that God had other plans. When I stopped chasing the dream and started chasing Jesus, He took me to high places and into deep waters for the next 5 years. He showed me my TRUE identity — my identity in Christ. Then He gave me a new BIRTHday, giving new life to an old song through the voice of Reba McEntire. And He showed me that He has new plans for my voice, too — one of which is this FAITH FORWARD blog.

And in the process of this new birth, He put it on my heart that I am not only to talk about my age, but celebrate it! It’s NEVER too late for your dreams to come true, when you put them in the hands of the One who put the dreams in your heart.

When I awoke this morning and sat in His presence listening to some worship music, I felt Him whisper this to my spirit:

“You are 51 today. Go and look up the 51st chapter of Isaiah and read it.”

I did, and when I got to verse 3, I wept with gratitude for all my Heavenly Father has done for me, and is still doing even now, even as I feel “I’m too old” to be putting myself out here in this bold and vulnerable way.

God said this to me, in the stillness of my tears:

“Isaiah 51:3 is my birthday card to you today. Happy Birthday, Daughter of the King.”