Musical Mentor: Trying times can spark some of the most powerful songs

Tragedy, heartache, grief and loss.
If you walked this earth for any amount of time, odds are you have experienced one or even all of these things.
My husband and I are currently walking through one of the most difficult times of our lives.
The pain is real and there are so many unanswered questions.
Admittedly, I allowed my grief and my pain to consume me. I think often times that’s what many do who find themselves deep in heartache.
The question is, will you let the painful circumstance define who you are — even define your destiny?
As artists, many times the most beautiful lyrics come from the most painful and darkest times of our lives.
But other times, we shut down and step away from doing what we love. For me, I definitely had to take a step back and really evaluate what was in my heart.
I know for sometime I dealt with a lot of anger and resentment. I was angry mostly towards God. I couldn’t understand why He allowed this awful situation to take place.
It’s in these most painful moments we learn what we are made of and where our strength comes from.
So many artists that I follow have gone through the most difficult seasons of their lives but it was during these times that the most poignant, thoughtful and heartfelt music was birthed.
They didn’t let their circumstances defeat them but rather allowed there tragedies to strengthen them and help them grow.
We have a choice — are we going to let painful and heartbreaking circumstances define us or are we going to allow them to help us grow and make us better at our craft and better as human beings all around?
I had to ask myself those very same questions. Life isn’t a cake walk and bad things are going to continue to happen in this world.
This is why I believe it is so important for musicians and singers not to give up on their dreams. The world needs real people who’ve gone through real situations to speak directly into their hearts.
So if you find yourself in a season of pain, grief, loss, heartache, difficulty or any other term that can use to describe “hard times,” whether you’re in the music industry or in any other walk of life, I would encourage you not to give up and throw in the towel.
The world needs you — it needs your story.
Email comments to danellecressinger@danellecressingerband.com