Emily Mitchell Music

Blog #1

How Music Causes Adoration

I have loved the process of making music for years; still, music is a mere reflection of the beauty of my Savior, Jesus. Thus, when I become too consumed with it and take my eyes off my Savior, I miss out on the abundant life that comes from delighting in Him simply for who He is.

Music, among many other joys of this life, carries a limit. Nothing has been able to fulfill my heart's deepest longings other than my Savior. The endless pursuit of fulfillment stops when I rest in simply knowing Him.

In contrast, the things of earth feel cold. Trying to find life in what is fleeting and temporary always results in emptiness. Furthermore, the brokenness and suffering on earth keep revealing a desperate need for my Redeemer. I long for things above (knowing Jesus) because nothing on earth (even good pursuits) can fulfill me like a relationship with Him can.

In life, we often carry a sense of longing for beauty and vibrancy. It is like imagining the warmth and lushness of spring while experiencing a perpetual winter. The springtime beauty of earth is in waiting. In the same way, my heart is in a state of restlessness when trying to draw satisfaction from the things of earth rather than from my Savior.

I might try to find fulfillment in music, work, and even by investing deeply in family and relationships, but pursuing them in a way that takes my eyes off of Jesus (my greatest comfort and prize) can lead to deep emptiness. Jesus tells us that He is the source of life we are seeking:

“Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” ‭‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This doesn't mean I have to stop pursuing His good earthly blessings. It just shows that I should pursue them in a way that spurs a deeper adoration for Him who gave me these gifts and rightly put Jesus at the center of my pursuits. The beauty is that in making Jesus my first love, I can pour more love into these relationships and pursuits because I am satisfied in Him and am not trying to find ultimate hope in those things.

So, music points me to my Savior, Jesus. Like many other good blessings, it is a mere reflection of Someone more worthy of our adoration and devotion, whose name is Jesus.

Below are in-process lyrics that communicate this tension in my life:

The earth felt cold in the winter

Its beauty was unadorned

Everything around me was waiting for spring

So was my heart, so was my heart, so was my heart

I longed for the things above

But I pursued the things of earth  

They only left me empty

Then my longing heart felt His pursuit

Calling my name, calling my name, calling my name

He could have been indifferent

Because I tried to give my love elsewhere

Still, His love ran after me

And I fell more in love with Him who died for me, Him who is seated above

In my empty striving, He was carrying me

And His grace will always uphold me

muc more does His pursuing grace make me look above and praise my Savior