Four-time Grammy Nominated singer Natalie Grant just released her book Finding Your Voice, intended to inspire women to look beyond the trappings of career and roles to their true identity and purpose in Christ.
For five-time winner of Female Vocalist of the Year by the Gospel Music Association, it took a ruptured vocal chord to step back from the absorption with her career and realize “there has to be more.” In an interview with Christian Post, Grant shared:
In everybody’s life there comes a point where the surface will crash and burn, eventually something will happen that turns your world upside down. It even happened to me. I built my identity in my voice and I could say that I was using my platform for faith-based music but I got caught up in the chase of, ‘Where am I on the chart? What’s happening with my career,’ and that’s even worse when you do it under the guise of Christianity as your platform. It’s nauseating honestly and it’s hard to admit but it’s the truth.
After losing her voice, she took a trip to India and was deeply impacted by the harsh reality of the sex-trafficking industry that is rampant today. She founded an anti-trafficking organization called Abolition International, which has since merged with Hope for Justice. This non-profit is currently based out of four countries and helps to identify, rescue and provide healing for victims of sex-trafficking.
Her “voiceless” period also taught Grant how to listen to God and lean in to His word. In an interview with Fox News, she says the “voice” that she’s referring to when she talks about finding your voice “revolves around purpose…. So many people talk about finding your comfort zone. I’m talking about finding your thrive zone.” When asked about her relationship with God, she responds, “In my life, I found my voice when I began to recognize His voice.”
In Finding Your Voice she provides suggestions on how to silence the lies that creep into our daily thinking and make us feel less than we are. Some of her recommendations include being honest with yourself, digging into God’s word, and surrounding yourself with scripture. She likes to write verses on sticky-notes and post them on her mirror and in her car, so as to remind herself of the truth.
In spite of doctor’s warnings that she might not ever sing again, her vocal chord did eventually heal. Now, she’s able to impact people not just with her beautiful voice, but through her inspirational writing as well as her life-transforming work through Hope for Justice.
