By Diane Untz
I remember standing at the side of the pool when I was a little girl and my Daddy would say, “jump, I’ll catch you”. It was terrifying for me. Even though I knew my Daddy loved me, I still had to work up my courage. I would finally jump. And, just as he promised, he caught me. I would wrap my arms around his neck and squeeze him so tight. He would not let me drown. My heart swelled with love for him in that moment.
Several years ago, Jack & I resigned ourselves to thinking our musical careers were over. Though we each had experienced many musical accomplishments in our lifetimes, even record deals, the big break just eluded us. It was still our deepest desire to make our living in music because we found it nearly impossible to work day jobs without thinking about music all day. But we had some serious family responsibilities to tend to and we had to buckle down and go back into the real world.
We got back in the swing of day jobs, yet kept our toes in the musical waters with songwriter friends around town. We couldn’t fully give it up….I mean, it’s our passion. But we came to accept that we may not make a living at it ever again.
One particular afternoon, I was by myself in a room and I heard, so clearly in my heart, these words: “Let go of the side of the pool. Come out into the deep with me.”
I immediately knew it was not my own idea because it came out of the blue and I had absolutely no idea what it meant. But, I instinctively knew it was a divine message. And it kept haunting me. It would not go away.
It took me a while to figure it out. I ran it by two of my closest friends, whom I trust completely with matters of the heart and their ability to be objective. After about a year, and many affirmations along the way, I realized God was asking me to leave the day job and come back into music full time.
Of course, my arguments started flying in my mind like “Lord, do you know how old I am?” and “I have responsibilities now.” I was terrified to jump, just like when I was a little girl. Would he catch me? Am I hearing Him wrong? What if…. and all of that.
Well, I finally jumped! And He did catch me!
I am so much happier now, with a national television show that affords opportunities for way bigger success than a record deal could have brought. But, it was a long and painful journey in many ways to get here. It all makes sense in hindsight. He had to teach me to fully trust Him with every area of my life, not just the music. I believe the music was simply the vehicle he used to drive me to Him.
He had to completely rebuild me from the inside out. I had to let go of long-standing mindsets; I had to learn what Grace actually meant; I had to let go of things that I clung to too tightly; He took me to depths where He was the only way out. I can tell you now, on the other side of it, that it was so worth it…the journey of my life!
I didn’t do it perfectly. I definitely stumbled and fell along the way. I cried tears of frustration and fear, but He was faithful to reassure me inside that He had me in the palm of His hand and that somehow, everything would be ok. And it was. Like when my Daddy caught me, my love for God grew insatiably, as did my trust in Him.
Not everyone is going to be told to “jump” in quite as deep as me. Maybe it’s a more subtle prompting for some. But we owe it to ourselves and to the world to follow that prompting because it leads to our purpose. His ways are certainly mysterious, and there are dark days. But we are growing in the rainy seasons. We need those deep roots of trust in Him to sustain us when our day in the sun does come.
Diane was initially offered a record deal and made the move to Nashville after being groomed as a solo Artist by top producers and industry brass in Atlanta. Once they arrived in music city, she and her husband, Jack, were struck by the abundance of songwriting talent in Nashville, deserving of attention, so she changed paths and created Nashville Unleashed™ with Jack in 2008. They toured with their show for several years, garnering loyal fans all over the country, and are now moving to National Television in Fall of 2014. Nashville Unleashed features a hand-picked Roster of Nashville’s hi-caliber songwriters, who happen to be some of Jack & Diane’s closest friends, and invite listeners into their living room. UNSCRIPTED. UNREHEARSED. UNAPOLOGETIC. Learn more at www.NashvilleUnleashed.com