Issue # 14 Featured Artist: Victoria Kaoapua-Mikaele
by Victoria Kaopua - Mikaele
Dreams Becoming Reality
“One of the biggest things He showed me was how the creative gifts He gave me wasn’t meant to make me famous, it was meant to bring Him glory.”
Aloha! My name is Victoria Mikaele and I come from the beautiful Island of Hawai’i. I was born and raised around the performing arts which is where my passion for music started. My mom was a dancer and my dad’s a singer and emcee at my family’s shows. Music became important for me when I realized the effect it had on my emotions. There was a song I could listen to that would suit my every mood. When I was young all I knew is that I wanted to be a famous singer.
I can clearly remember my young self getting super emotional listening to one of my favorite bands. I wasn’t emotional because I was into the music, it was because my little mind couldn’t understand how I would ever be able to make music like them. So I was frustrated and my dreams felt like they were crumbling. As I got older I came to the understanding that this dream I had wasn’t something I just thought up, it was a dream placed in my heart by God himself. With this new understanding, my heart for this dream began to change.
After Highschool I had two plans: Go to a music school and get famous! I had gotten accepted to a performing arts school in NYC so everything seemed to be falling into place. The summer after I graduated a lot happened in my life. I lost myself and some close friendships. A family friend had suggested I do a Discipleship Training School (a 6-month school where you learn more about God and His purpose for your life) at their base. At first, I was not into the idea, but as I kept thinking about it I felt like this is where God wanted me to go. So my plan was DTS then NYC! I was ready to take on the world.
Singing at New Hope Oahu (2020). Image courtesy Leticia Buhr.
During my DTS I went deep with God. He showed me more of who I am, and who He wanted me to be in Him. My life was wrecked for the better. One of the biggest things He showed me was how the creative gifts He gave me wasn’t meant to make me famous, it was meant to bring Him glory. This revelation brought a huge change in my life. I told God that I’d do anything He wanted me to do with these gifts as long as I can serve Him while I do it. Well at that moment the Lord asked me to lay down my dreams, this included the school I was going to in New York. I thought it would be hard to say yes, but I saw God’s faithfulness so much that I had no hesitation. From that day on I said Yes to all God had in store for me and that took me to places I never imagined I would go!
I would be lying if I said life was easy after I laid down my dreams. I went through highs and lows. I struggled in finding my purpose. I struggled with understanding why God would ask me to lay down something that I was so passionate about. Surely this was a dream God placed in my heart, why would He take it away from me now?
Ten years go by and the possibility of recording my music started to become a reality. I was amazed at how God had orchestrated everything. He provided the studio, producer, finances, music, and so much more! I was starting to see my dream become a reality. My first thought was that I wanted the Glory of God to move through this whole process - all the way to the people who will listen to these songs. I wanted this EP to take people on a journey of the past ten years of my life. There were highs, where I felt surrounded by the sweet transforming presence of God. And there were lows, where I was walking in the mud that I had created. But in the end, I not only found the healing and restoring love of God - I found the love of my life!
Recording “King of Glory” (2018). Image courtesy Victoria Mikaele.
I think back to the young girl who was crying because she wanted to be a singer so bad and I wish I could tell her it’s all going to be ok. You’re going to do what you’re dreaming of right now. I believe God saved me from a lot of pain by having me lay down my dreams for ten years. In those years I discovered my heart for worship and leading people into the presence of God. I felt more satisfied doing that than anything else I did in my life.
He is the author and co-creator of our lives. He has the best in store for us. All He asks is that we trust Him, even when it doesn’t make sense. I am a testament to His faithfulness. He doesn’t give us dreams to take them away, but He does give us the best tools to be prepared for when that dream becomes a reality.
Resources
We’ve created a free downloadable PDF to explore the article deeper. It contains discussion questions about the topic in general terms that will give you a jumping-off point for beginning a conversation.
The second page contains a way to see the topic from a biblical perspective.
And finally, to go deeper into the subject, we have chosen a few curated resources to explore from other authors’ and thinkers’ research or perspectives.
Read. Engage. Enjoy!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Depending on how a gem is held, light refracts differently. At B+PC we engage in Pop Culture topics to see ideas from a new angle, to bring us to a deeper understanding. And like Pastor Shane Willard notes, we want “…Jesus to get bigger, the cross to get clearer, the Resurrection to be central…” Instead of approaching a topic from “I don’t want to be wrong,“ we strive for the alternative “I want to expand my perspective.”
So, we invite you to engage with us here. What piqued your curiosity to dig deeper? What line inspired you to action? What idea made you ask, “Hmmm?” Let’s join with our community to wrestle with our thoughts in love in the Comment Section! See you there!