Grace Notes

No sound is sweeter than the word grace. 


I have heard the familiar hymn, Amazing Grace, my entire life and still, my eyes well up with tears of joy every time I hear these precious words:

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me,

I once was lost, but now am found

Was blind, but now I see.”

The gift of grace – redemption, forgiveness, unmerited favor – is a sign of God’s unfathomable love for me. Yet, all too often, I neglect to find time in my busy schedule to slow down, take stock, and see how good and gracious my Lord is.

It is easy for me to accept the concept of grace as this huge blanket that covers the sin of the whole world. However, it is much more difficult to wade through the sea of my own bitterness and see how Christ extends grace to me for every sin I have ever committed. Although I knew that Christ forgave my sins, for a long time I hung on to specific past sins for which I could not forgive myself. They were these huge, ugly scars that spoiled the allure of the model Christian man I sought to convey.

It must be ingrained in human nature to notice bumps, blemishes, and blunders, and to seek to get rid of them as quickly as possible before anyone else notices. The trouble is, if one holds on to anything long enough, others will never fail to notice. It took me a long time to learn that human beings cannot clean up their messes on their own; it takes a true master to do it on our behalf.

At the master’s level in graduate school, I studied diligently to become a vocal pedagogue trained to diagnose any undue tension in the body in order to free up the vocal instrument. More generally as a musician, I have had to develop a keen ear to spot with speed and accuracy the flaws that mar the beauty of a melodic line, to eradicate the mistakes that disturb the flow of the music, and to eliminate the sounds that do not match the harmony or tonal color intended by the composer. In short, I strive to present to the listener the utmost best which the musical art can offer.

Interestingly enough, there is a musical device that is nothing short of a bump, a distraction to the seamless line desired in music. It is called a grace note. Grace notes are those smaller notes that, mathematically speaking, do not belong in the measure. Grace notes are, for lack of a better term, gaffes turned into graces or mistakes turned into miracles.

When I was first learning to play grace notes on the piano, my first thought was that they caused friction to the pure melodic line. I was a bit reluctant to use them at that stage. In my experience, that sentiment is echoed in most singers who try to avoid them as long as possible in the learning process. However, when executed with mastery, grace notes add incredible beauty and elegance to the most modest melody.

I cannot help drawing a spiritual connection here.

Many of us carry harbored hurts and, perhaps, unaddressed sins from the past. We are terrified at the thought that others may no longer like us if they find out. We may think our less than honorable past might disqualify us for any part God may want us to play in the advancement of His kingdom. We may even believe the lie that we are such damaged goods that it is better to stay hidden, out of the way. In other words, we tend to think of ourselves as wrong notes. However, that is not the way of grace. God is interested in turning our wrong notes into grace notes and our blunders into brand new opportunities for grace to flow freely.

As the story goes, God created humans in His likeness – pure, sinless, and perfect. At the first opportunity, Adam and Eve blew it. That is the major blunder of the human race. However, God devised a plan that turned our mistake into a grace note: God would land on this sin-sick world in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. 

It is an act of grace that the presence of Christ in the world for a mere 33-year span was enough to make a difference – turning death into life. He made a difference as a baby bridging the socio-economic divide by bringing together peasants, shepherds, and royals in a putrid stable – teaching us the joy of humility. He made a difference by attracting foreigners (three Magi from the East) to make an arduous trek to see Him and worship Him – making salvation available to all races and nations. 

As a 12 year-old, He made a difference as He sat in the company of the teachers of the Law while they marveled at His wisdom. He made a difference in the lives of the disciples who walked with Him as they witnessed the integrity of His life. He made a difference by healing the sick, raising the dead, helping the poor. He made a difference by spending time with the rejects and outcasts of society, showing them that there is a better way to live. He made a difference through the amazing surprise of grace expressed to the Samaritan woman. After their conversation she ran to town to fetch others saying, 

“Come see a man who told me everything I ever did. 

Could this be the Christ?” 

(John 4:29, NIV)

Because of the story of the immoral Samaritan woman, those of us who might have given up hope now have an escape. No matter how we try to cover them up, Christ knows all the details, flaws, and failures of our lives and still extends grace. He can break through the masks we wear to touch hearts, to expose sin, to heal pain, to quench the thirst of our souls, and to turn the ashes of our lives into fresh beauty.

Jesus is making a difference even now!

I am becoming more aware of His masterful hands weaving my failures into a beautiful tapestry that will draw others to the cross. The sins I have committed with my tongue – lies, gossip, slander, malice -- have been brought to my conscience. As I obey God's prompting to confess them, I am grateful to see how He is using my words to encourage others. Stealing God’s glory by seeking out and accepting human praise for the gifts He has entrusted to me is another huge area of temptation for me. Yet, each time I send all the praise to Christ, God reaches more people through my gifts.

My thoughts on grace have changed dramatically since I began pondering upon grace notes. As things surface, we may often miss the mark:

- The problem that we were convinced was solved may return in a bigger size. We thought our faith was strong enough to face it, but when it resurfaces, we may find that we are losing our center.

- The besetting sin that we thought was gone may be back to haunt us. I pray we will fall into God’s grace and come out victorious.
- In the privacy of our homes, we may often give in to that sin, throw a pity party, and even condemn ourselves. Perhaps, even then, those moments might turn into "grace note" opportunities, embellishments that could lead us to a more fulfilling spiritual connection with Christ. 

Holy Father, please take the failures, mistakes, and ashes of our lives, and turn them into beauty for the sake of the gospel and the glory of Your blessed name. Amen!