I recently had a long conversation with a family member about what it takes to be successful. She’s been dealing with some pretty heavy stuff in her life, namely the challenge of finding oneself and figuring out what to do from there. She asked me what I had done to be successful.

I always find this question funny. You see, I’ve been in the music industry now for over ten years. I started humbly in my little Baptist church youth group band and have followed a meager path through the brambles and tendrils of the jungle we call being a musician ever since. There have been highs and lows, successes and failures. But by no measure would I say that I’m “there.” I do not feel that I’ve “made it” or have been what I think the world would generally consider successful. Yet my family member was not the first person to think of me as such.

So I explained to her what has taken me almost thirty years to figure out (yes, I’m admitting my age proudly). I’m just dumb enough to keep going.

Even in the face of family members asking me what I’m “really” going to do with my life. Even knowing that most people would consider someone my age silly and immature to have a band and pursue that dream seriously. I still pursue. I still dream. I still try. I’m just dumb enough to believe that I can do it. And I don’t think it’s crazy. I KNOW it’s crazy. But it hasn’t stopped me yet.

And now, as a mother, I know that even more-so, people are going to patronize me to my face and secretly think I’m nuts when I say, “I quit my job for my band.” Yeah, I had a day job. And I can honestly say that it was the biggest mistake I made in my pursuit of a career in music. The day job kept me from being hungry. It kept me from doing whatever it took because my bills were paid. I wasn’t desperate. But when I got pregnant last year, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to raise my son and be home with him. So it was no question to me that I would leave my day job to do so. But in making that decision I realized I had finally given myself the opportunity to live in the kind of faith I always preach about. Reckless-abandoned faith. The kind that moves mountains. I now have no choice but to pursue music with every effort I have. And the challenge is even bigger now than it was when I was single. Or even when I was married with no children. It will probably seem impossible to some.

But not to me. I’m just dumb enough to think that I can do this. That it’s worth the struggle.

And I believe that it is this kind of “stupidity” that God rewards. I see it in my life every day, at every turn, with every new challenge. So I ask you, friend. Are you dumb enough to think that your dreams can come true? Are you dumb enough to live with the kind of faith that could make them happen? Maybe you and I can take a leap of faith together and just see what this God we serve is capable of. Oh what an adventure it will be!