Take It

Wow.
What a long week it has been. We played for Planet Wisdom in Orange County, California then headed to Nashville, TN for GMA week and now we are back in Northern California for one last Planet Wisdom conference weekend. I have so much to tell you and so many thoughts about GMA week (a big convention for artists, radio, retail, and anyone else involved in the gospel music association). To say the very least, I am pretty tired. We all are. It has been an intense week, thus, no writing. Please forgive me.

As I flew today I thought about some of the things I have heard over the past week and I thought, what the heck, I should write down the best compliments I got. So here they are:

“Jenny, you are the best hippie I have ever known.” “Oh my gosh, I am a hippie?” “Of course you are.”

“Oh my gosh, you are like the cutest thing ever,” from my friend Amy.

“Girl, can I please put you in my pocket and bring you home to my mama?” from a fan in a California bathroom.

“You’re a size 9? You look like a size 2!” from a very nice lady after we discussed the problem of our widening hips between interviews.

“DANGIT, WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD WOMAN?” from Travis (our bass player) after I aced a radio interview!

"You stole the show," "Thanks, you have to say that," "No, seriously, you owned it." from my A&R rep after our GMA showcase performance.

And finally, from one of the guys in The Afters, “Seriously. Your voice rips. I could hear it on the first floor (I was on the third). The only female vocalist I like is Lisa Loeb, but I’ve added you to the list, you are amazing.”

Vanity?
Look, we get enough negative feedback in this world, right? We feel pressure, we feel judged, we feel compared, and often we are told in so many words or less that essentially there is something wrong with us and we are not good enough. For every good word we hear about ourselves, we hear or perceive 10 bad things as well! It’s true. If we don’t beat ourselves up, the world will do it for us. But either way, we are facing an inevitable beating.

As if that were not enough, somewhere along the way we have come to believe that because of Christ-like humility there is no room for praise of the individual person. So we spend a good bit of time rejecting overt praises that might lead us into, God forbid, the folly of pride, vanity, or selfishness. We are basically telling people while covering our ears…aggghhh…don’t flatter me; I might turn into a monster!

Hogwash. When you are given a compliment, live it up! Write it down. Memorize it. Put it on your refrigerator or mirror. Make them say it again and secretly record it on your phone…or, blog about it! Indulge in it. Brag about it. Store it away like a treasured love letter. Every good thing in you is given to you by God.

Do you have an awesome voice? Do people love you at work? Have you done an incredible job on something? Did a random stranger compliment your hair, body, smile, or outfit? Are you the greatest friend? Coolest dad? Best artist? Most loving caregiver? The funniest person around? Or the most beautiful woman alive? Has someone told you something that has made your soul smile?

Embrace it!

Receiving a compliment is a gift. There is no need for false humility, for shame or embarrassment, and there is definitely no need to hide it away. Cling to the good. All good comes from Christ, from God alone. And while there is not a lot of room in our hearts for vanity, there is room for encouragement, truth, and freedom to accept a good old-fashioned compliment. Size two? Seriously? I will take it!

I hope you have heard something good lately.

After a long week with a lot of pressure... I have treasured the sweet words spoken to me. Even if it is just about my lipstick!