At some time in our lives, most of us have to face challenges that seem bigger than we are! They require a certain amount of growing, stretching and digging deep. I have had lots of those times in my life, but my latest such exploit was an extended trip to Nashville to record an album at The Castle Recording Studios, which, incidentally, is in Al Capone’s old summer home and has been the location of recordings by a catalogue of the ‘who’s who’ of A-listers! It’s a hefty legacy of music there for sure.

So how was I going to measure up? What was it like? How did I tackle it? And what lessons can be learned for us all from the experience?

Universally, leaps of faith require those ‘big girl pants’ (or ‘big boy britches’) and a certain attitude and resilience that take us through when the magnitude of the task seems overwhelming. This was no exception. So let’s explore!!

My analogy of stepping into the cogs of Nashville is that of going through the back of the wardrobe and stepping into Narnia. It’s a whole world that is existing and palpating without you, and you really have no idea how or where you fit in. There are paths, signposts, friends, frienemies, thrones, seductions, rulers, powers and tales of legends and kingdoms! Wow! It’s a lot to navigate and digest.

What I found is that working it out every day is exhausting. It’s a thrill for sure, but the headspace is busy, busy, busy, and you have to be equipped to know how to hold the line. Conversations pull you this way and that way, left then right, but at the end of every day, I had to stand myself back up in my God-given boots and find the centre ground.

But how did I do that?

Not by chance and not by accident, but by a very considered, prayerful, mindful approach to the daily challenge.

I’ve tried to unpick some strategies that were solid stabilising mechanisms, in the hope that they can be of some use if you’re tackling your own ‘Nashville’. So let’s ‘line ’em up!’

Prayer back-up

Never underestimate the power of prayer! If you’re taking on a big challenge that could well invite some unwelcome opposition, then prayer is the first port of call. Time to get on the heavenly hotline.

I had my prayer team pray over the whole exploit, including travel, health, purpose, anointing etc., before I was sent off and out. This was very enlightening, as some of the ‘opposition’ was picked up in the Spirit.

Someone said to me it was going to be a time of ‘spiritual weightlifting’, and much as I didn’t want to hear that, indeed it was!

So get your network, church, family or whoever, to pray for you and offer any insights into the journey ahead. Keep the prayer going while you’re on mission, and daily add your own prayers to the upward ascent. Stay close in heart to God’s leading and the Holy Spirit, with an obedient posture.

Know your identity

I spent years and years in the wilderness, even decades!

What is crucial here for me is that when Jesus had His identity publicly affirmed, ‘This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased’, He then spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. No accident.

What we see here is that what had been affirmed about Jesus was then tested in the wilderness.

When I look back, it’s the same for me. I spent so long in the wilderness, yet knowing the call on my life and my identity, that over the years I came to strongly understand who I was and what I was called to. All that had to be tested!

So my point is… know your identity!

Know what you are called to, and who you are in Christ, and make sure it has already been worked out and tested. ‘Nashville’ or ‘Narnia’ is not the place to walk into unprepared if you don’t already know who you are.

Honestly, you’ll need a strong handle on your identity.

Know your purpose

When I tackled Nashville, I knew exactly what I was seeking to achieve and the purpose of the project and mission.

I had written it out in a project overview, spoken about it with the team many times, and recorded some social media videos about the vision… but more than that, I had carried it in my heart and understood it. I was not to be shaken from the call.

So my advice would be to ask yourself some very key questions. What is my goal, my aim? Why am I doing this? What do I hope to achieve? Is this part of my calling?

Be sure that you know in advance, otherwise there could be a dozen voices, each giving you an alternative version of your reality to chew on!

Don’t make comparisons

One of the hardest things to overcome, please check me here to see that this is very true, is continually making comparisons with other people.

It’s human nature to compare and measure, but this is a pitfall. Everyone has their own journey and their own calling. Different days, different ways.

It is not healthy to over-concern yourself with other people’s journeys at the expense of your own. Stay focused on you.

There’s only one you, and God made you different from everyone else. Your journey and calling are your own, so it’s wise to stay focused on what you are doing, whilst being alert to learn from other people when opportunities present themselves.