It’s About Compromise

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by Rocki Gazowsky

There comes a time when every person has to make a choice between all the things they have ever dreamed about and compromising their beliefs. Sometimes the choice between the two can come disguised as an insignificant package and other times it can be glaring you right in the face. Either way, how you “get there” is imperative.

One ordinary day I received a phone call from a friend whose brother was a pop songwriter and producer. He wrote songs for some big-time singers and groups. She told me that her brother was looking for a singer to record the latest song he had written and she recommended me to him. I was completely elated and hoped that this connection would go somewhere big. My dad told me not to get carried away with excitement but to wait and see if this was God’s will. A few days later the producer called my house and spoke with my dad about me recording his song. I nervously waited as my dad talked on the phone. A few minutes later my dad called me over and said, “Rocki, sing a song over the phone for him.” My dad held the phone a few inches away from my mouth and I belted out a tune to the best of my ability. I spoke with the producer after singing through one chorus and he thought that I was the right one to sing his song. I was delighted and anticipated how fun it would be to be involved in this music project.

I received a package a few days later containing the music and lyrics. The music sounded great. It was cool and catchy but the words troubled me. The lyrics were about a girl who wants to break up with her boyfriend because he plays around. I would be singing about something that I have no desire to know about. I couldn’t identify at all with the words. I knew that God wanted me to sing about positive things and this song was really negative. My desire is to sing songs that make God happy.

I wanted this deal to go through so badly that I rewrote a small part of the lyrics. Determined to make the song work, I squeezed God into the song. All I could think was, “If this song is recorded and has good airplay it will be the open door for my whole album to be recorded.” I didn’t realize that if you partner with a company or person who wants you to do a questionable project they won’t stop at one time. I’ve seen people tied down to questionable projects at questionable companies because they wanted the money and exposure. In their hearts they were troubled with compromise. Because they wanted the security and prestige they settled into a lesser vision.

The enemy of our souls wants us to miss our perfect calling and the perfect will of God by just a little bit. If we get off course we miss the perfect and great plan of God. Second, third or fourth best is not good enough.

Later in the week my dad called the songwriter and told him about the lyrical changes I made to his song. He was very upset and yelled at my dad. As a writer he didn’t want any changes made to his work. It was made very clear to me that I couldn’t work with this man. We weren’t on the same page. I was really disappointed but the lesson I learned that day stuck with me.

There are times when a deal can look so good. It appears that all you’ve ever wanted is stretched out before you. But if you have to compromise your principles along the way it just isn’t worth it. How you “get there” is more important than getting there. When it comes down to it, the journey is the reward.

Rocki Gazowsky is the oldest daughter of Richard and Sandy Gazowsky and has worked at Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks for 9 years. She has scored the soundtrack for “The Roman Trilogy” with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, and is currently working on the score for the theatrical release “Gravity.”

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