When the Music Fades: The Quiet Work of Becoming

 I saw some new songs trending online recently. The energy, the Ticktoc "dance challenges", the excitement—it was infectious. But amidst the enticing beats, something felt off. I couldn’t shake the question: “Do they really know what they sing?” The words are powerful, no doubt. But are they heartfelt?

Here's my take.

Be careful not to mistake sensationalism for reality. Hype is not depth. Our senses can heighten the awareness of something real, but they don’t always show us what’s the present state.

Even the hottest fire burns out—especially when it consumes more fuel than it receives.

The reality we seek isn’t found in the blaze of inspiration but in the long, quiet burn of daily discipline. Yes, the spark might ignite in the spotlight, but the real formation happens away from it. It’s in the choices we make when no one is watching. The small steps towards honesty. The courage to admit wrong. The grit to accept consequences. The endurance to keep going when it’s anything but glamorous.

It’s not fun. It’s not flashy. But it’s real.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize...”
— 1 Corinthians 9:24–26

We’re not performers in a concert; we’re farmers in a field. Sowing, hoping, enduring. Celebrating the harvest, weeping over the losses. Sometimes full, sometimes empty. All of it shaping us.

Like Paul said:

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty... I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”
— Philippians 4:12–13

We were never meant to have it all. But we were meant to experience what is necessary to grow what we lack.

“These [trials] have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith... may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
— 1 Peter 1:6–7

Yes, there will be dancing. And tears. Celebration and hardship. But don’t run from the pain; don’t shortcut the process.

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time... but later it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.”
— Hebrews 12:11

“Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope...”
— Romans 5:3–5

There is no paradise here. Not yet. Perfection isn't part of this place. But that doesn’t mean we stop striving.

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known...”
— 1 John 3:2

“Now we see through a glass, darkly... but then we shall see face to face.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:12

Until then—walk worthy.

“...walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”
— Ephesians 4:1

So yes, dance. Get excited. But when the lights fade, and the music stops, and you're face to face with the reality your choices have built—take off the dancing shoes. Put on your work clothes. Grab your tools. Sow. Weed. Prune.

Do the quiet, grueling, everyday work.

That’s where the real transformation lives.