Have you ever had that awkward situation when you are scheduled to sing, and you prepare a new song, only to find out that another singer has planned to sing that song too? The awkwardness comes in the conversation between the two singers while they try to decide who’s going to get to sing the song first. Some respond with graciousness and others with a bit of competitiveness, which comes from envy.
One of my responsibilities as the worship leader at my church is to schedule the special music for the church services. Many times I have had a singer claim a song and ask me not to allow anyone else sing that particular song before they do. And many times I have had to talk singers through the awkwardness of letting go of a song that another singer has already prepared or really wants to sing.
Also, I’ve had to deal with issue of envy that come between singers. Too many times we, as musicians in the Lord’s service, forget that we are on the same team. And as a result we become a bit competitive with one another. The truth is that God has placed us in a ministry together. 1 Corinthians 12 talks about the gifts that God has given to each of us for the purpose of edifying the Body. He has placed each of us in our local churches to serve with those gifts to work together as one body, not as individual parts. The friction comes when one person begins to view his or her ministry as more important than another’s.
1 Corinthians 12:18 says, “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.” Look around at the musicians the Lord has placed around you. Each is uniquely gifted by the Lord as He sees fit. Consider them your teammates. God has placed a “music team” in your local church to minister through music. The purpose of each musician and singer is to work together to glorify God and edify the Body.
What is not important is who gets to sing what song or who could sing it better. 1 Corinthians 12:25 reminds us that there should be no division between us, but that we should care for one another. So, place God’s Word into practice the next time you find yourself in a situation where you and another singer both want to sing the same song. Work together. Talk it through with love. One solution would be to sing the song together. Or, graciously let go of the song to allow the other singer to sing it. Remember, you have been placed in a team to work together to edify the Body and honor the Lord. Envy is unwelcome.