Death, on the contrary, is the cessation of movement or flow. Plants wither and die without the flow of water. People die when blood stops flowing through their veins. When a pregnant woman no longer feels her baby move in her womb, adequate steps are taken quickly to determine whether or not the baby is still alive. So it is fair to say that one dies once one stops growing.
One phrase that I use with my students is, "Don't just sing the note, do something with it." More often than not, a note has to crescendo (grow in volume and intensity) in order for it to become alive and/or beautiful. I have seen numerous beginning musicians improve their skills simply by seeking to move or grow each note, phrase, or musical period.
Sometimes, the score may require the performer to decrescendo or diminuendo (decrease in volume). I would like to suggest that even that is a form of growth because it takes progressive movement and energy to achieve a masterful decrescendo. In fact, most professional musicians agree that it is even more masterful and heart-stirring to get gradually softer than to get gradually louder. Both terms, however, clearly demonstrate the importance of movement, energy, and spin.
For the first few months of 2010, Haiti occupied most of my thoughts and permeated every aspect of my life since that fateful January 12. Almost every other sentence of mine began with the phrase, “Since the earthquake hit . . .” In thinking about the term crescendo, I could not help noticing a similarity between the natural turn of events in Haiti and the gradual increase or decrease of volume inspired by those terms in music.
It finally struck me that an earthquake is not technically a single blow out of nowhere. The activity began long before and has continued long after the point of contact. It is the series of quakes, the constant re-shifting of the plate, and the continual crumbling or buckling of buildings that have provided enough momentum for the mounting and colossal disaster which has brought Haiti down on its knees and affected hundreds of thousands of victims.
I wonder how many of us, like Haiti, have been brought down on our knees by personal earthquakes?
- Shattered dreams
- Broken hearts
- Rebellious children
- Dying loved ones
Could it be that such torments, which shake the foundation of our being, are unearthing a real desire or a burning need for that which alone can fulfill and satisfy us?
This satisfier is not a "that" but it is a "who." Allow me to point all willing eyes and hearts to the hope of glory, namely Christ. He rightly claims that He is "the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6) All three of the above words reveal a sense of continuity that is echoed or rather imitated by the apostle Peter in the first chapter of his second epistle.
Peter points us to the WAY by giving us a foundational TRUTH which produces eternal LIFE as he urges us to grow in our faith. We receive faith once and for all when we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. However, if there is no growth in godly living, even the faith we have will be choked to death. In order to have spiritual life, the only life that counts in the end, Peter suggests a series of virtues that God desires us to remember and practice. There are seven of them -- a picture of perfection -- and they lead us from an earthly nature to a heavenly nature. They are goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.
But why do we need to grow, to crescendo this precious faith that was deposited into our hearts?
The purpose of growth is revealed as we read in 2 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV),
"For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,
they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive
in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus-Christ.
But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,
forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins."
This call to growth invites us to enter a place of honest probing:
- On this day, are we contributing to the ever-growing pain present in the world through an unkind comment, a flippant attitude, an impatient response, or a withheld kindness?
- Do we view trials as petty annoyances that must be quickly removed, failing to seize the opportunities they offer for learning, maturity, perseverance, and patience?
- Are we allowing our hearts to be convicted and convinced by the Word of God to grow in exercising forbearance with one another in daily offenses that ought not to matter?
Today, O precious Lord, grant that we may instead play the part written for us in Your majestic crescendo of joy by praying for our neighbors, forgiving our offenders, extending kindnesses to others, and loving everyone wholeheartedly! May we "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18, NIV)
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