I became a fan of the musician Prince as a rebellious teen in the 1980s. The fact that my parents disapproved of his music made him all the more appealing. In 2016, my husband, kids and I moved to Chanhassen, the Minneapolis suburb that’s home to Prince’s compound, Paisley Park. Just one month later, Prince died. Afterward I heard his songs anew—“Purple Rain” became about the redemptive power of God. “Diamonds and Pearls” sounded like God talking to Prince. And because crying doves are a sign of things changing from bad to good, could “When Doves Cry” be a message of hope?
I’ve since learned all kinds of surprising information about Prince. He’d written songs about faith and positivity, such as “Love…Thy Will Be Done” and “I Wish U Heaven.” He was a regular around town, shopping at the hardware store and going to the grocery for cherry pie. I found out that Prince was also a longtime Guideposts subscriber! The more I thought about it, the more it made sense—Prince was a lifelong seeker of spiritual nourishment. Why wouldn’t Guideposts’ stories be as meaningful to him as they are to the rest of us?
I’ve decided to try to be more like Prince. To work hard until something is finished, the way he kept going until a song was done. To share my gifts and encourage others to share theirs, the way Prince constantly found and promoted new musicians. To be a good neighbor, the way he opened Paisley Park to locals for impromptu concerts and dance parties.
Getting to know more about the man behind the flamboyant costumes and sometimes edgy lyrics taught me something else—to not be so quick to judge. We are all vessels of God.
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