TWLL #59: Emotional Health & Worship Leading

read time: under 5 minutes

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At first glance the topic of emotional health might not feel super relevant to leading worship- but it is.  Because emotional health directly impacts our hearts- which is what we offer Jesus when we lead worship each week.

I've got a handful of thoughts to share about emotional health- and how it connects to our worship leading.

Self-Awareness

Emotional health is a pretty broad category, and I'm going to zero in on the sub-category of self-awareness.

Self-awareness has to do with our ability to see and assess where our hearts are at emotionally.  It has to do with being able to identify the various things we feel as we move through our days-  the sadness, joy, pensiveness, anxiety, peace, frustration, etc. 

If I'm afraid, for example, me being afraid is not the same thing as me knowing that I'm afraid.  But if I am self-aware, I'm able to recognize the fear and name it.

Another way to describe self-awareness would be that the head and the heart are well-connected or integrated.  

Playing Out

One of the reasons self-awareness is so important is because it results in greater authenticity.  If my head and heart are more disconnected, I'm not functioning as the real me in a sense.

Because if I'm upset inside but not fully aware of it, then on the surface I might seem kind of calm and collected- but not really.  Because there's a disconnect between my head and heart, and the result is a more distant, plastic version of me.  

When the head and heart are aligned through self-awareness, the fruit is a more genuine and authentic representation of me.

Leading Worship

Here's why self-awareness matters so much, specifically for us as worship leaders. 

When you lead worship, you're aiming to do it from a place of connection with Jesus.  And if you're self-aware and functioning authentically, that connection with Him will be stronger- because you're not just reaching for Him- you're offering Him the real you.

Even when you're leading a room full of people in worship, Jesus doesn't want a distant, put-together version of you- He wants the real you.  And even if the real you is upset, discouraged, or sad- that's the version He wants.  

It doesn't mean you express it verbally on the mic- it means you carry your heart before Jesus in a posture of vulnerability and transparency.  And self-awareness is a pathway that helps your heart get there.

Becoming More Self-Aware

How do you and I become more self-aware?  Multiple ways.  We ask Jesus for His help.  We learn more about emotional health and self-awareness.  We reach out to a counselor or trusted friend.

The key is being intentional and taking action.  As we take steps forward, He's more than willing to meet and help us with the process.

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Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you: 

1. The Connection-Based Spontaneous Worship Course.  If spontaneous worship has been a struggle, you might want to check out Connection-Based Spontaneous Worship.  It's a self-guided, self-paced course that empowers you to lead spontaneous worship with confidence, enables your musicians to flow with you, and helps your room engage.  

2- Join A Zoom Group.  Every 3 months I host small zoom groups- one focused on worship leading and one on songwriting.  Each group meets once a week for an hour on Zoom over a 12-week period, as we walk through the process of learning to leading worship/write songs out of connection with Jesus.  For more details about the next upcoming zoom group, including schedule & cost, email me at [email protected]