Grant then ignited a social media explosion when she announced via Twitter her personal decision to leave the Grammy Awards ceremonies before its official conclusion. The unintentional hullabaloo soon prompted Grant to clarify her decision with a statement posted on her official
Facebook page.
"It does sadden me when people argue, judge and hurl insults at each other from both sides of the fence," she wrote. "I never pointed out any one particular performance, I only said I had many thoughts about the entire show, which were best left inside my head and that is where they will stay…I won't use my platform to engage in political arguments that will only divide and not unite. I will continue to pray that my life will be my message."
The extensive online discussion only grew with each passing day, drawing close to 115,000 likes, more than 10,000 comments, and a remarkable 14 million-plus Facebook impressions thus far. What's more, Grant's statement surpassed President Obama's State of the Union Address to rank as last Tuesday's #1 Google Trending Search Topic.
At least one Grammy winner made a decisive choice not to attend Sunday night’s award show. In a post on her official Facebook page, Mandisa offered some “brutal honesty” in explaining why she decided to stay home rather than accept the awards in person — and much of her choice centered upon her faith.
“At 4 p.m. yesterday, I was not glammed up in a fancy gown, sitting in my seat at the Grammy Award Pre-Telecast, listening to the man reading the nominee list for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) Performance, Best CCM Song, and Best CCM Album,” she wrote Monday. “I was rockin’ some purple sweats, sitting in front of my computer, watching the live stream online.”
Mandisa went on to express her surprise at finding out she won two awards — a reaction that was characterized by “utter shock and [an] immediate flood of tears.”
While she was grateful and honored to be nominated in the first place, Mandisa explained that she didn’t feel that the Grammys provided a positive environment for her at this time in her life.
Among her reasons for not attending, the singer admitted that she has struggled lately as a Christian living in a world filled with temptation.
“Yes, both times I have gone to the Grammys I have witnessed performances I wish I could erase from my memory, and yes, I fast forwarded through several performances this year; but my reason is not because of them, it’s because of me,” Mandisa wrote. “I have been struggling with being in the world, not of it lately. I have fallen prey to the alluring pull of flesh, pride, and selfish desires quite a bit recently.”
She said that putting herself in an environment that celebrates some of the elements she’s trying to avoid was “risky,” so she decided to stay home, as she is trying to renew her mind “to become the Heavenly Father-centered, completely satisfied with Jesus, and Holy Spirit-led woman” she once was.
While she didn’t get specific about the issues she’s struggling with, Mandisa fully admitted that she’s been hitting some spiritual road bumps.
“Perhaps being alone with Him as my name was announced was protecting myself from where my flesh would have tried to drag me had I been up on that stage,” she added. “It gave me time to focus. With what I do for a living, and the doors that have opened for me to sing about Jesus on mainstream platforms, I take the phrase from John 15:19, ‘be in the world, not of it’ seriously.”
Though she believes God doesn’t want believers to separate themselves from the rest of the world and to avoid sharing their faith, Mandisa highlighted that it is important for Christians to speak differently so that they “shine” and stand apart from others.
The singer also cited that she will be on the road for much of the next 100 days, that she doesn’t enjoy the scrutiny surrounding what she’s wearing and how she looks and that she assumed she might not be victorious in the categories she was nominated in as her reasons for staying home.
But Mandisa isn’t entirely closed off to attending the award show sometime in the future.
“So yeah, should I ever be nominated again, and I’m feeling up to it, I’ll go,” she added. “I recognize that I may feel a bit like an alien in a strange land, but Jesus, friend of sinners, felt that way and still managed to shine…by His Holy Spirit, so can I!”
Natalie Grant - Be One
