What Do You Do?

People love to ask, "What do you do?" and it's incredibly easy to make whatever it is sound so much more glamorous than what it actually is.
I answer, "I'm a Worship Leader." and eyebrows furrow and lips purse. It's either they don't understand what in the world that is or they worry that I am making this up because how in the world could anyone be making any money by doing that? Some of the most well-meaning people think I couldn't possibly do that. That is not a real job, there is no way you can support yourself by doing that. - Eventually I tell them I am also a barista to make money, and that makes them feel a lot better but then they ask if I plan on going back to school because we all know that being a barista is not a real career. (btw, I LOVE being a barista and I know a lot of people who are baristas who work harder than most "career" folks out there.)
I've heard the term "foolish" for going into ministry. Why would you quit a good, full time job, to what, sing? For Jesus? 
I've never been one to do anything for the money. I went to school for Early Childhood Education, and last time I checked, Preschool Teachers are lowest on the money making chart in the US. I've tried to do many other things but this is the one thing that hasn’t changed and even if I tried to quit and run from it, it follows me. I am one of those fortunate people who know exactly without a shadow of a doubt what I was meant to do with my life.

In fact I know it so well that I have trouble separate WHO I AM with WHAT I DO. I still wrestle with the fact that I am NOT what I do and I believe as "grown ups" this is why we are all obsessed with asking, "What do you do?" Because it's the lens that we all see ourselves through.Working out of ministry for a whole year felt like I was losing a part of me, not doing what I knew I was meant to do. I felt lost and lonely and dry, but I knew I had to go through that season to find out that Dominique is not what she does. I'm still learning though. I love so much what I do and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to finally do what I love and feel like what I'm supposed to do. I have to rethink the questions I ask people, because often times the questions we ask people reflect so much how we see ourselves. I find it a great pleasure when it actually takes a few meetings for before I finally divulge what it is that I do or the other person. 

My pastor gave me this assignment to write an autobiography without saying what I do and it's proven a lot more difficult than I anticipated. 

Hi, I'm Dominique. I'm real passionate and stubborn and emotional sometimes but I love hard. I see beauty in everything and everything makes me cry. I've tasted and seen the beauty and goodness of the Father who calls me daughter and because of that I live in confidence of knowing I'm seen and loved. I don't need to perform to be of worth because my worth comes in knowing that the God of the universe loves me so much he died for me. It was a wild and seemingly reckless choice to do that for me cuz I still forget all the time and I forget the power of that blood. But it wasn't a waste to Him, and He never gives up on me. He keeps coming after me and keeps "wasting" time on me. 

If that's who I am and what's been done for me then my only response is to be a fool and give it all back to him.