I am from Esperance, Western Australia, and I am 22 years old. I was born and raised in Cascade, on my parents’ farm.
Mary Leske and Karen Crouch
God has been a part of my life from a young age. I am very thankful to him for blessing me with godly parents who taught my siblings and me about God, read the Bible to us, took us along to church and helped us through life’s ups and downs.
God has been faithful and cared for us through the people he has placed around us. It reminds me of how important the church is, for encouragement, walking alongside each other and being honest about our life and where we currently are at. God gave us this community for a reason: for our good and his glory.
A big part of my life, early on and still to this day, is music. I can honestly say God has been so good. There have been times where it has been challenging and I have been unsure of what God has been doing, but I need to remember that he is sovereign, and the more I surrender to him, the more I see his perfect will in my life.
Last year, God called me into something new with my music that was well outside of the scope of what I was currently doing, and I had to step out in faith knowing that he was with me and leading me, but I still felt how daunting it was.
After graduating high school, I took a gap year. I had received a place at a university to study commerce, which I deferred. I decided to seek work in the commerce field to see if I enjoyed it. A job position opened up at a local insurance broker that I quickly accepted. God’s provision was amazing. I was truly blown away at how things fell into place, and I started working there in early 2018. The job grew me professionally and personally, and I was thankful to have a Christian boss, something I know is uncommon these days.
In 2020, during the Easter lockdown and prior to that, I began to feel like music was what I wanted to pursue. Music was still very much on my radar, and I had been playing gigs around Esperance since finishing high school. This caused me much excitement – but also fear. It was a challenging time of wanting to look forward and step into something new but, being secure in my job, it was a scary proposition to leave that security to pursue music as a career.
In July, over a period of a weekend, something shifted. I’d been thinking for a while: “Why aren’t I pursuing this? I enjoy it, I work hard at it – it brings me and others joy”. Opportunities had been arising for a couple years; I was battling thoughts of “can I do this?”
When it comes to big decisions in life, I can be a bit timid, but I believe it was the Holy Spirit that led me to my boss’s office to inform him that I was to pursue music and leave my full-time, secure job.
It was also over that weekend that I actually had two gigs in Esperance. One on the Friday night and one on the Sunday afternoon. During this time, I had discussions with those around me and spent much time in prayer and reading the Bible as I sought out direction from God. God also gave me a song which really confirmed the situation and what I had to do.
It is the first original that I have ever sung at a gig, and I did so on the Sunday afternoon. The song was describing my situation, what I was going through, what God was asking me to do and that I needed to be obedient to that. It reminded me of Jonah when God asked him to go to Nineveh, and how being obedient to God is sometimes the hardest thing, but best, to do.
When I look back at the past year, I truly see God through it all. When I was unsure of the next step, God was weaving his promises and blessings into my life. This is not to say that things were always easy. I definitely had moments where I questioned what I had done because I let fear steer me rather than faith.
God has never left me or forsaken me, especially during this new season. I have been blown away with the support of people around me and the number of gigs I have had. I can confidently say God did that, not me.
Music has opened up more opportunities than I count, to meet people, share encouragement and the good news. I have been blessed and believe, and pray, my music will continue to bless those around me. My gift is in music and specifically worship. But it is not confined to it. When we are seeking to grow in God and grow his kingdom, God will bless that. Don’t seek perfectionism or compare yourself to those around you. God has made us all unique and that is something so amazing about his beautiful design.
‘Beyond The Shore’
Written 2020 by Mary Leske
This time in my life, I am questioning what I know
This time in my life, I’m not sure anymore
But you say,
Let’s take a step out from the shore, let’s run into something more
I hear you calling me beyond the waves
I’ll follow your voice oh Lord and I will answer when you call
Take me further out beyond the shore
These times in my life, you’re the answer to it all
These times in my life, I won’t fear the unknown
‘Cause You say,
Let’s take a step …
Questions fill up in my mind in any space and of every kind
I look to you and you will still my heart
‘Cause I can see you’re using this and your goodness is too good to miss
I don’t want to miss any part
‘Cause You say,
Let’s take a step …
About the Author
