A former counselor of mine once told me, somewhat jokingly, that I have likely saved quite a bit of money on therapy because of the fact that I’m a songwriter and worshipper. That’s not to say I haven’t spent a pretty penny on much-needed therapy over the years - I have! But I’m certain the ability to process, write, and make music, as I work through challenging seasons and situations, has made a big difference in my spiritual and mental health.

My new song “Loved” is a perfect example of the spiritual catharsis that takes place when I can just get in a room with a piano and Jesus. It resets and recalibrates my very being. It reminds me who and whose I am. It washes the world away.

Like many of us, I can be so prone to insecurity, comparison, shame, self-analysis, and self-criticism. I can go from believing I have something valuable to offer the world to feeling like I should just curl up in the fetal position and give up - all in a matter of days, hours or minutes. Throw in the often negative impact of social media, the temptation to dwell too much on the past or on what others think, and we have a recipe for emotional and spiritual disaster.

I’ve definitely grown leaps and bounds in knowing and settling into my identify as a beloved child of God. But obviously I am far from arriving. My humanness gets the better of me too many times. Can you relate?

When I fall into this trap again, often the best thing for me to do is just stop everything. Shut out the world for a while. Breathe. Be present. Open His Word. Get it ALL out on the table with Jesus. Then let His truth wash the world’s lies away. Then I just keep PREACHING it to myself!

That’s what my song “Loved” was and is for me. I had to look the lies right in the face and say, “Nope. I know who I am.” But because I can easily forget, I needed to write it down and spell it out. And because things are best remembered when set to music, I needed to write a song!

I pray this song helps you stop the lies in their tracks and preach God’s truth to your heart too! WE ARE LOVED! You can find the song & album here on my website, and the single just arrived on all the streaming platforms (spotify, amazon, pandora, apple music, iTunes, etc) as of TODAY!

Here are the lyrics, my friends, and I’d love for you to leave a comment about how you remind yourself who you really are in Jesus:

LOVED

I am not what I do / I’m not measured by how the world sees me / I have nothing to prove/Can’t be gauging my worth by my feelings / I’m not less, I’m not more, based on who’s keeping score / I’m not prisoner to ways I feel judged

I am loved

I am loved

I am loved by the King of all Kings

I am loved, loved perfectly

Simply for me

I will fail left and right / Then sometimes I’ll succeed and feel happy / I get caught up in pride / And let things on the outside define me / But I keep coming up short, ‘cause that’s not what life’s for / And the cross tells me I am enough

I am loved

I am loved

I am loved by the King of all Kings

I am loved, loved perfectly

Simply for me

And I could climb every mountain / Win every prize / Or sink to the valley /

No strength left to find / But Lord, in Your eyes

I am loved

I am loved

I am loved by the King of all Kings

I am loved, loved perfectly

Simply for me

I am loved, loved perfectly

Simply for me