Living Free
by Melanie Hemry
Candlelight flickered around the room as 22-year-old Dara Maclean leaned back against the wall and slid down onto the cream-colored carpet. Closing her eyes, she tried to make sense of it all.
Why did she always feel like she was never good enough? Like she was a failure?
Most of her friends were away at college, starting their careers and getting married. Dara had chosen a different path and found herself working at part-time jobs, as she worked toward what she felt called to—the music industry. She volunteered her time serving at her church, being schooled in hands-on ministry, all the while believing she would one day be offered a contract with a major recording company and spread the gospel through music.
She felt like her life had come to a standstill—like she was trapped in limbo, doing ministry, but not to the degree that was in her heart. It was a constant battle to believe the impossible could really happen. Now, she had just broken up with her boyfriend, a heartbreak that seemed to confirm her sense of failure. No “happily ever after” with him and absolutely nothing to show for her efforts in music.
“You should always have a backup plan,” she’d been advised. “Earn a degree. Get a career. After all, the odds are against you. Do you have any idea how few people ever break into the industry?”
10 : BVOV : FEB '14
