I love that. It owns up to the fact that we're going to suffer a little while. But it also says that at the end of that suffering, we're going to come out stronger. So I try to remember that when I walk through difficult times. It doesn't mean that God has left me; it means He's walking me through those and I'm going to come out stronger in the end.
We're talking about your weight loss struggle, but "Stronger" really applies to anyone going through problems. Do you hear from fans about how the song has helped them with what they're going through in their lives?
I've never heard a response to one of my songs like this one. Every single day, I hear from people who are struggling in areas that, to me, feel impossible. But I've come to learn that God gives us the grace to face the things that we are walking through. I used to misquote the Scripture, 1 Corinthians 10:13. I used to think it says God won't put more on us than we can bear. That's not what the Scripture says. It actually says God won't allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. I actually do believe He allows us to go through things beyond what we can bear because I think it helps us to understand our utter dependence on Him, to know we cannot do it on our own. We have to walk through those things with Him.
I'm always amazed to hear what people are walking through. Knowing that hearing "Stronger" helps them to know they're going to come out of it. And it gives them hope. I love that.
To hear the entire interview with Mandisa, visit http://www.christophers.org/americanidol.
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