Why Does God Love.............Carrie Underwood?

Alas, but I must needs depart from our beloved Encyclopedia of Biographies. Ok, I don't need to, I want to. Carrie Underwood has been much in the news lately because of the now viral video of her singing “How Great Thou Art” at the Academy of Country Music Presents "Girls Night Out" special. Using Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, for her background information instead, I will continue as usual to try to identify some of the characteristics in Carrie Underwood that are pleasing to God.

[To see what I'm up to here, read this introduction]

Please note that I believe God's default setting is love. He just plain loves all of us the same; A to Z. It is our response, our embracing or rejecting of His image in our lives, that determines how our lives play out. Those who rebel from everything Godly are generally unloved and certainly un-liked by their fellow people. Those who use God's protocols in their daily lives, even without acknowledging where they came from, are most often beloved and be-liked by many. And those who purposely honor God by giving Him glory for who they are and what they have, go right to the heart of God, for they are not wrapped up in the question of whether, or how much God loves them. Instead, they are more concerned with His knowing that they love Him.

Born in 1983 (as was my own beautiful daughter!), Carrie Marie Underwood was raised on a farm in rural Oklahoma. Her middle class working parents took her to a Baptist Church where, very early on she became a featured singer. She sang for many local events and talent shows and when she was 13, Carrie was offered a contract with Capitol Records.

A good student, Underwood was salutatorian in high school and graduated manna cum laude from college a year after winning season four of American Idol. A natural beauty, Carrie also competed in beauty pageants over the years.

Carrie Underwood auditioned for American Idol in 2004, and impressed the judges and audience throughout the contest. The voting tabulations are never revealed during the season, but after the fact it was made known that Underwood carried the lead week after week, and won handily in May of 2005.

The list of appearances, awards, albums and achievements since that victory is way too long for this blog posting. Suffice it to say that Carrie Underwood has overtaken just about every other female country singer, whether judging by album sales or awards earned.

Not only a singer, Carrie plays guitar and piano. Growing up on a farm where she fell in love with the animals, led her at 13 to become a vegetarian. (In 2007 PETA voted her the coveted “World's Sexiest Vegetarian”.) In fact, she told PETA, "Ever since I was little I loved animals [...] If you told me I could never sing again, I'd say that was horrible, but it's not my life. If you told me I could never be around animals again, I would just die." Underwood supports the humane society, has used her talent to benefit cancer research, and has worked with the USO in Iraq.

Carrie has tried her hand at acting as well, appearing most recently in the film Soul Surfer. Carrie Underwood became Carrie Fisher in 2010 when she married the professional hockey player, Mike Fisher.

What QUALITIES OF GOD are evident in Carrie Underwood?

Since she started so early, it seems the first quality would be her MUSICAL gifts. And the fact that she OFFERED her voice to the Lord as a ministry. Perhaps as a child one only sings in church because that's just the thing to do, but as her most recent rendition of “How Great Thou Art” demonstrates, the singing is now a heartfelt statement of WORSHIP. Just like us, God appreciates a heartfelt, honest compliment.
It seems that Carrie Underwood has exercised GOOD STEWARDSHIP over her whole life (so far): As a student, certainly as a singer, and even through DILIGENCE in her diet and exercise regime, she has EXCELLED.

Who knows from the outside, what Carrie Underwood is like in person. But all indications from her public appearances suggest that despite her sudden stardom and amazing successes, she lives with a God honoring and God pleasing HUMILITY.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Underwood