Melody

"Make sweet melody,

sing many songs

that thou mayest be remembered."

Isaiah 23:16b, KJV 

My two daughters recently developed a new habit – they sing and hum around the house . . . constantly. From room to room, game to game, toy to toy, their sweet little voices waft through the house, filling our home with their presence. “Where, oh where, have they picked up that habit? Is it possible that one of their parents might be a singer?” I could not help smiling contentedly as those thoughts went through my head.

My smile grew into bona fide laughter as my careful listening revealed a humorous element to their habit – both girls often string together snippets from the very vocal exercises and songs I practice into one long melody. Simple folk tunes morph into arias by Mozart. Lullabies turn into scales. Praise choruses and well-known spirituals become linked with art songs composed by Barber, Copland, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff. Come what may, my girls just keep singing and humming their beautiful melody with all the different flavors found therein while I . . . just keep smiling.

Without knowing it, my girls have provided their doctorate-holding daddy with an important lesson on melody. Though I learned in college that a melody is merely the sounding of a series or succession of pitches, my concept of a good melody was peppered with personal bias and preconceived notions. I felt free to dissect, demean, and discard any series of pitches deemed unworthy based on my preferences. I had a clear penchant for traditional, time-tested, tonal harmony and rejected seemingly dissonant or mismatched pitches without flinching. Clearly, my girls had no such inhibitions and, consequently, were free to love, partake in, and enjoy endless possibilities of their melody.

The smile that was on my lips slowly faded as divine truth burrowed through my prideful heart. Silent tears lined my face as it dawned on me that life itself is a melody whose pitches are the people we encounter. Those folks are "pitches" that are either sharp, flat, natural, or borrowed from another key. They are notes of unequal length and different dynamic levels; and, therefore, they are prone to clash. However, the possibilities are endless when gratitude and openness mark our attitude in such encounters.

The open and non-discriminatory nature of melody-building exhibited by my girls is echoed in the writings of Paul, the apostle, in the book of Romans. He says, 

"Live in harmony with one another. 

Do not be proud, 

but be willing to associate with people of low position. 

Do not be conceited." 

Romans 12:16, NIV

The point of Paul's message to the Romans is love. He wrote it passionately with the intent of encouraging the believers of his time to live out their faith in a winsome manner that displays the gracious work of God’s Spirit and sparks a desire in non-believers for God’s truth.

Such an important message is no less timely today. Love is still the most important ingredient in the recipe of life. It is only through love that we can live in harmony with others. It is only the fire of love that can melt the iciness of our pride and take us to a place of humility. It is only the water of love that can wash away the conceit that blinds us from the truth of our own lowly position. It is only the glue of love that can bond two individuals as complementary partners to carry out this tuneful melody known as life.

The truth is, each person is a precious bow lovingly held by the Master Artist, the virtuoso of the universe, whose hands alone are capable of producing true music. As the Master Artist places His bow (each human being) on the strings (the people we encounter) of His cello (life as it is meant to be), He expects each one of us to be willing to go wherever, whenever, and however He leads. He is both the composer and performer and, therefore, intimately knows every contour, nuance, and cadence in the melody. So, we can rest securely because both the intention and direction of the Master’s bow are handled with utmost care and precision.

Since the Master determines the series of people with whom I interact on any given day, do I dare become annoyed when beggars come to me? Do I pretend not to notice the broken-hearted, the hungry, and the needy who seek to talk to me? Do I quickly find an escape route when I see the unpopular, the outcasts of society coming in my direction? Do I lose my temper when people oppose my views? Does my heart grow impatient when life’s hurdles block my path? Do I really love?

Perhaps, it is such a line of questioning that warrants the practical Pauline description of love in 1 Corinthians 13. Interestingly, Paul does not start his discourse with romantic love. He simply and boldly asserts that, without love, all the knowledge or eloquence we may possess is nothing but "a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1, NIV)

As a musician, I rejoice over Paul’s choice to appeal to music in seeking to define love. Of greatest interest to me is his choice of musical instruments to describe a mind full of knowledge and yet devoid of love. Choosing gongs and cymbals instead of strings or woodwinds has everything to do with their nature. Like most percussion instruments, gongs and cymbals are incapable of producing melodies because each sound emitted reverberates too much to allow for connection. They are guided by motion, not line. 

Perhaps, that is the issue at hand. When we simply go through the motions and do not take the time to connect and align ourselves with others, we miss the point of melody-building. As 1 Corinthians 8:1 states,

“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” 

We need to go beyond the point of existing for our own pleasure – that leads to conceit and pride. Instead, we ought to seek to please the Master Artist as we connect with others to produce a joyful noise, a sweet and memorable melody that is worthy of His honor.

I am becoming increasingly more grateful that life exists. As long as we are alive, there is a beautiful and tuneful melody that God desires to play through each one of us. His agile hand is ready and the strings are waiting with baited breath. But are we, His bow, willing?

Dear Lord, may we be the willing bow of Your choosing to strike a tuneful melody on the lives of those we encounter today! In Christ, Amen.