I love to sing, and I love God. I tried out for the Gospel Choir at my school, the best of both worlds. It was the most nerve-racking thing in my life. Shaky knees, clammy hands and racing heart, I gathered my breath and let it out in the first note….
Two weeks and many prayers later, I saw the posted list on the choir room door. Holding my breath, I scanned and scanned and scanned… then, breath out, I MADE IT!!! Since I was little I had wanted to be a part of this group. I remember watching them sing at the various churches I had grown up in and thinking “That’s gonna be me someday; I’m going to do that.” My dream had finally come true. At first I was nervous. I was one of four freshmen, in a group of fifteen. That’s a lot of upperclassmen to someone who was still scared of being beat up by bigger students. My first day of choir, I stayed near the people I knew, and sat quietly around the ones I didn’t. By the end of the first week, I knew everyone and felt more comfortable around them…. By Fall Break, they were family.
We spent so much time together, and we confided in each other a lot. We prayed for each other, when one person was hurting, the whole group reached out to comfort them. If someone in the group had to vent, then the rest of the Gospel Choir sat with listening ears. We sang two Sundays and numerous other days singing for people. It was amazing. We sang about God, His love, promises, all that He’s done for us. It was great when we saw the impact of the words we were singing reach the audience. That class was always my favorite. It really gave me a sense of love and comfort, no matter what.
This is my second year in Gospel Choir. These past two years have been the best of my life, and I have met some of the most inspiring, loving, Godly and all around most amazing people I’ll ever know. They have helped me through so much; not only the group itself, the director as well. Together they have helped me gain more confidence and realize I’m not alone. Before, I was afraid to stand out, afraid to show my faith, but now I understand that I was never alone, I just didn’t see the reaching hands around me to help me. Trying out for the Gospel Choir was the most terrifying, but amazing thing I’ve ever done, and I’m glad I did. I will always remember what we did, the impact we had on others, the impact they had on me, and the joy that I found singing with them. I’ll never regret a single day in Gospel Choir. Reach for your dreams, no matter how small or big…. You might just reach them. It happened for me.