“You have no musical talent. You will never be a musician.”
Those were the exact words spoken to my friend Ravn by his grade school teacher when he was just a kid growing up in Norway. Those lies could have easily derailed him from his destiny and stopped him from pursing his passion of music. Instead, they fueled his desire to prove Miss “Dream Crusher” wrong.
Fast-forward to the present.
Not only is Ravn a skilled musician, but he has performed in 8 countries on two continents and is respected and well known throughout Europe. I wonder if his grade school teacher would be surprised to learn that Ravn has received fan mail from India, Australia, countries in Africa, and several countries throughout Europe.
Oh yeah, Ravn also serves almost every Sunday in our kid’s worship band at the church I lead. #SavedPeopleServePeople
Eddie the Eagle
Have you seen the movie, Eddie the Eagle? If “NO” is your answer—stop what you’re doing, drive to the nearest Redbox, and go watch it immediately! Devouring buttery popcorn and chasing it down with Coke—Diet Coke if you’re like me—will enhance your movie experience.
Eddie the Eagle is based on the true story of Michael Edwards, the spunky British underdog ski jumper who captivated the world at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
What’s really impressive is the fact that Eddie didn’t even begin training until he was in his mid-twenties—the average Olympian ski jumper begins around age six—and yet he still overcame near impossible odds to become the first competitor since 1929 to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping.
What lies did he have to overcome?
“Eddie, you’re never going to be an athlete!” —Eddie’s Dad
“Frankly Eddie, you will never be Olympic material.” —British Director of Olympics
Eddie refused to allow those negative words of doubt to keep him from fulfilling his dream of being an Olympian.
What I find interesting is that Eddie carried around an Olympic book everywhere he went as a source of inspiration.
We have a better book to draw inspiration from!
The Final Word
Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. —Proverbs 16:3 (NLT)
We can choose to believe the lies of the enemy and see our dreams crash and burn—or we can fuel our faith with the Word of God and rise above the resistance!
You know who did this (in the Bible)? David. Before David killed Goliath in one of the most epic showdowns ever recorded, he had to overcome the following lie from King Saul:
“Don’t be ridiculous! There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! —1 Samuel 17:33 (NLT)
Not only did Israel’s king not believe in him—David’s own brother told him to go home!
What lies do you need to overcome?
What words of doubt do you need to shake off?
What haters do you need to ignore?
Be like Ravn.
Be like Eddie the Eagle.
Be like David.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. —Proverbs 13:12 (NLT)
Dream big.
Hustle hard.
Pray harder.
Repeat.
You’re good enough.
Good article, Chuck!! I volunteer at the Alice Cooper Teen Center in Phoenix and we have lots of musicians that teach teens!! All need to hear this!!
Loved this article you wrote! It’s so true … I’m sure many of us can relate & share stories like this although not as grand and as awesome as this musician’s story. One story I will share…. when I was in 2nd grade my teacher told my parents I was so shy I would never go becone more than a C student. Throughout school I worked hard and was mostly an A or B student and later in life achieved a BSA degree with a 3.97 final GPA. It wasn’t easy, but I applied myself and proved that teacher wrong. I’ve also given presentations in front of many people, led a praise team, and created and taught a class given to my peers. God helped me thru it and ‘we’ proved that teacher wrong. Wish I could share this with her m, but I never saw her again and believe she has now passed away. God helps us thru every difficulty in life giving us stories of hope to share with others! Thanks again for sharing!
Thank you, Melenda! And thanks for sharing part of your story. Bless you!
Thank you, Helen! Bless you!
Love it Chuck! So glad to be able to make music with Ravn. Truly an honor.
Thanks, Wade! You rock…literally. 😉
Miss you, Dude!
Good for you to for not taking the advice of an self proclaimed expert!