Christy Nockels: Advice for young girls who aspire to be worship leaders

From Christy Nockels:

What advice would you give to young girls who aspire to be worship leaders?
I think these three kind of go together or at least I have the same answer for all three! : ) That is… bloom right where you are planted. There is no greater cause than to serve the local Body of Christ. There’s no better “stage” to serve on…I mean that. I know it’s easy for me to say because I have been doing this along time and have gotten to travel around the world to lead worship but that’s probably why I have come to such a conclusion… Yes, it is amazing to get to lead worldwide but there’s no greater joy to know that you are getting to pour into the people in your own community, that you walk life with. So, make a stir where you are…Volunteer to lead in your hometown…at your church, at local bible studies, wherever there is a need. Commit your heart fully to the Lord and aspire for Him to refine you and raise you up as He sees fit. It proves to be exhausting to try to “lift up your own cause”… be faithful and let Jesus lift you. After all, He took on the form of a servant first and foremost. He is our ultimate example for leadership. What I tell the girls here that I’m leading…”Jesus is worthy of complete Lordship of your life regardless if He ever allows you to be elevated by men”. The amazing thing is though…His word is true, He will lift you up! Often it’s different than you thought it would look like but better than you ever asked Him for. He will give you your voice and influence if you commit your life to Him. On a practical level…I started out very small and just asked God for the grace to be faithful in the small things. Little by little, He opened more and more doors and my songs and recordings have grown as the years went by. It has been a slow and steady build with small steps of faithfulness, by His grace. I will never recommend “knocking on doors” and trying to sell yourself to get the doors to open for you. The doors will open as you are faithful to let the songs that are coming out of you touch the people right around you. It will grow from there… I also really rely on the Lord to help me know the things I need to say “yes” to and the things I need to turn down. More isn’t always better. Sometimes more brings complete burnout in your life. I have learned to be thankful for what God has and hasn’t given me and that includes my career. I never want Him to take me wider than I can go deep… He knows my threshold and He IS my portion. Knowing that brings tons of rest to my heart because I believe that He will put me anywhere on the planet that He wants me!