Harmony

Harmony.

Harmony is the social and sacrificial agreement between persons choosing to exercise good will, understanding, and civility -- all rolled into the concept of peace -- in their approach to living life and spending time together. 

Harmony.

Sounds nice!
But, do we practice it?

Insanely busy creatures, we often turn into hermits as soon as the work day is over, secludedly rolling up our windows and driving home in order to hide within the comfortable confines of our isolating and insulating bubble. This bubble intensifies our cravings for "Me-time" so much that it negatively impacts events and seasons that bring us into contact with others -- funerals, weddings, graduation parties, Easter gatherings, Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas get-togethers, etc.

Even the highly celebrated end-of-the-year holiday season suffers significantly from our hermit-like stance on harmony. Once the Advent Season comes to a close and the festivities of Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are over, folks tend to breathe a huge sigh of relief.  It is an interesting phenomenon because, although numerous presents were shared, decadent meals were served, and many conversations took place by the fire or around the table, too often there is a tinge of regret after the holiday season is all over. 

Why does that familiar, though unsettling, feeling linger so?

The more I think about it, the more it sends me back to the perennial angst, apprehension, or negativity people feel as they approach holidays in general, but particularly the end-of-the-year holiday season. In fact, here is a phrase that I have heard more than I would like to recount for the past several years, 

“Relatives are like fish, they stink after a couple of days.” 

Some people even say that their relatives “stink” all the time. The consensus is that people endure their relatives for as short a time as possible during holiday seasons and then they can move on to more fun times with “friends” or acquaintances. 

Over the years, I have come to this basic conclusion based on personal observations: Rare is the family wherein all members truly enjoy each other’s company. And, of course, enjoyment does not stand a chance without harmony.

In music, harmony is the synchronized sounding of two or more notes. For that to happen successfully, the creative mind of the composer or arranger must show a clear understanding of chords and the horizontal or vertical relationships between notes. Despite the fact that each musical period shows its bias in terms of the manner in which harmony is represented, it is safe to say that music would not have gone past the Gregorian chant without the invention and intervention of harmony.  

As followers of Christ, we have a composer, an arranger, an orchestrator who can make that claim. In Isaiah 11:6-9, a beautiful revelation was given Isaiah concerning the unity that must exist between all inhabitants of the earth. Our heavenly Father crafted us, hemmed us in, created our inmost being, knitted us together in the womb, fearfully and wonderfully made us. He knows how it should work. He is well aware that each one of us is unique and we are as different as different can be. Yet, He has called us to live together in peace and harmony.

God’s revelation to Isaiah points us to a time after the second coming of Christ where the whole “earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” This knowledge will eradicate conflicts between predator and prey, boss and employee, husband and wife. This message of peace, when embraced, can bring about spiritual changes in a believer that will bring him/her to repent from previous habits that waged war with God. 

In preparation for that time of future peace, I am convinced that God wants us to live peaceably with our own relatives first and with others. It is that same knowledge that inspired Paul to urge believers in Romans 12:16a to “live in harmony with one another.” Paul recognized that people in close relationships would witness offenses and hurts; but, as believers, we are encouraged to overlook them and strive to love and pray for our offenders.

In the same way, the apostle Peter encouraged early Christians in 1 Peter 3:8-9 with the following words,

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; 

be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, 

because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

With God in our lives (Immanuel), we need to demonstrate that God’s grace has transformed us wholly and causes us to treat others with love, gentleness, and respect. Those three virtues represent a triad or tri-chord, a three-note chord -- namely, love, gentleness, and respect.

a) Love is the root or foundation of harmony. It stabilizes and grounds us in our relationships because it makes us willing to overlook another person’s faults. When we are sinned against, love overrides our reflex to seek revenge. 

b) Gentleness is the middle note of the chord. As the third sweetens the quality of a chord, gentleness affects our relationships in that it sweetens our speech and behavior. When offensive words are blurted out or hurtful actions are directed at us, our gentleness influences the other party and soothes his/her anger.

c) Respect is the top note of the triad. When we treat others with respect and place their interests above our own, our relationships are affected positively.  They are more likely to reciprocate the favor and more willing to listen to us when it is our turn to speak.

In terms of our relatives, 1 Timothy 5:8 says, 

“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, 

and especially for his immediate family, 

he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 

Let me insert here that getting along with one’s relatives is a form of providing for one’s immediate family. And since God is our heavenly Father, there is this strong case for our believing that we are all part of His nuclear family -- every person is a member of our immediate family. We ought to generously, joyfully, and sacrificially provide connectedness and love for one another.

Therefore, let us heed God’s Word today. Let us pray that we will strive for harmony, rejecting the erroneous notion that we are better off alone. Let us learn to live, love, believe, and behave in a manner that honors our Family name so that the next gathering -- holiday or otherwise -- will find us living in peace and harmony with everyone, repaying evil with blessing.

Holy Lord, Dona nobis pacem. Amen!