What is your song?

Playing her song

Have you ever thought of your life as the music God has composed for you to play?

So, what’s your song? Music performed by Elvis? Bon Jovi? Marty Stuart? Beethoven?

And what if we find ourselves humming a tune we don’t even like -- or a sad song -- or maybe the same old, tired refrain over and over? What then?

Three thousand years ago, a wise man wrote, “Sing unto the Lord a new song!” He recognized that the world’s songs don’t always fill us with joy and hope. He was ready for something with more substance.

God has given us each wonderful spiritual qualities, and our expression of these qualities is our music, the music God has given us to play.

Everyone’s expression of life should be unique. It may come out as folk music for me, rock and roll for you, country and western for a neighbor, jazz or classical for someone else – and it is all good. Whatever God has given us is excellent. How we play it is our own expression of that excellence.

Our decisions, the thoughts we choose to think, determine how we play our music. How much is stormy, how much is gentle, whether there are lovely duets or trios. How we sing or play – the timing, tempo, dynamics, and nuances – are our contribution to the world.

What about you? Are you ready for a new song? We find our identity, and therefore our special song, by looking to our source. We might call Soul the source of all that is beautiful and spontaneous and pure.

And if we say God, or Soul, is the composer of the music that is our lives, can we say Christ is the conductor? Christ -- that law of God that brings everything together for good and defines our being and purpose --interprets the music God has written. Christ cues individual players to confirm the timing of their entrance, their solo, their melody, or their countermelody. Christ brings everyone together at the right time for greatest blessing.

If we use an orchestra as an example, these musicians can look at their music, count the rests, and come in at exactly the right place. The music indicates how quickly or slowly to play the notes, how loudly or softly, even how to touch each note (legato or staccato). Dynamics, phrasing -- all the refinements the composer intended are written on the page.

In jazz, the musicians are more likely to play from sparse notations and improvise. They are so at one with the melodies and chord progressions that good singers, reed, brass, string, and keyboard players, can close their eyes and improvise marvelous solos.

In any musical group it is important to listen to the other musicians, hear what they are playing, and know when and how they come in, and also when they are silent. Thoughtful listening helps us discern better how our part fits into the whole score, the big picture.

Even so, we are not responsible for what somebody else is playing or not playing. We are responsible for playing our own music the very best we can. And if we are carefully listening, we might be able to help others find their place through the grace in our own lives.

Christ Jesus’ life showed how to play these vibrant life melodies. Scotsman Henry Drummond observed that Jesus spent a lot of his recorded life just going around being kind to people. Simply being kind to them.

Jesus expounded brotherly love in what we call his Sermon on the Mount. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. We can take the initiative in our relationships and be caring first.

Love expressed in kindness -- this is one of the genuine and magnificent pieces of music our lives are to play.