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Symphony
by Sylvie
Galloway
Imagine this:
The house lights dim, the curtains open to
reveal an orchestra seated on the stage. The conductor strolls
onto the stage, turns, smiles and lightly bows to the audience.
He then turns, and acknowledges the assembled orchestra members.
Raising his baton, the conductor leads the orchestra into the
beginning strains of a beautiful symphony.
This symphony is very special to the
conductor because it is his own composition. He put a lot of
time and energy into the piece. He wanted to highlight each of
the orchestra sections, bringing out the beauty and uniqueness
of each instruments. He also wanted music that would touch the
hearts of the listeners as well as the players.
As the music progresses, an occasional sour
note can be heard from the musicians. After all this is a young
group, still learning and growing under the tutelage of the
conductor. Instead of scowling, or drawing attention to the
erring player, the conductor simply gives a reassuring smile and
that player knows that she didn’t cause any harm to the
integrity of the symphony, and that everything will be all
right. She also knows that the conductor is available for extra
practice time on a one on one basis.
The symphony finally ends to the sounds of
thunderous applause from the audience. An audience although
small that is made up of a variety of attendees. There are the
family and friends of the orchestra members. Music lovers in
general who enjoy good music. Some who have heard of the
conductor’s reputation and have come to satisfy their curiosity.
A few, a budding musicians themselves hoping that they can join
this group of musicians. And there of course, are those who
have been brought by others. Some willingly, some begrudgingly.
Sounds like a concert evening many of us
have attended. I have watched my own children perform in their
local school bands. And have myself been part of choral groups
that performed on stage. However the picture painted above is
not an ordinary symphonic concert. This is a picture of a much
larger event.
Imagine this:
The orchestra members are us. Ordinary
people doing what we can to live our lives as best we can as
followers of Christ. We each have different talents,
(instruments) and some are more gifted with those talents then
others. However by staying focused on Christ, our conductor, we
can stay on track, make fewer errors, and learn so much from
what He shows us.
Some of us are even members of the
audience. How many have been supportive of a family member or
friend choosing the ministry or mission field, or have held the
hands of a sick or hurting one, who have brought someone to a
worship service, or went to them to share God’s love. Some of
us want to do more then we are doing now as Christians and are
hoping that a new door will open. Some of course are just a part
of the crowd, maybe curious about what Christianity is all about
and want to learn more, some are not, but drawn here for
whatever reason.
The conductor? Of course that is our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. The one who put everything together,
who gave us the talents we have and has taught us how to use
them. He has listened to us, guided us, spent long hours with us
as we struggled to figure out what He wanted us to figure out.
This amazing conductor not only put together the event I will
call a Christian life, He made it available to the public, by
placing more then enough seats on the stage for new players, but
also in the audience area. He also has taken great steps to let
all who would be interested to come and see and hear what was
going to take place.
And what about the symphony itself? The
beautiful music that all came to hear or play? That of course
is God’s amazing love. His love touches all of us whether we
realize it or not. God’s love was meant to be shared, was meant
to be used, was meant to impact lives. His love can bring the
best out in us, giving us just what we need at just the right
time. His love shapes and molds us into more beautiful creatures
then what we were before. He wants us to experience the amazing
beauty and grace of His love. Why else would He go through so
much trouble to make it available? However, we can’t experience
it, unless we accept the invitation to attend the presentation
first.
“For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not
perish, but would have everlasting life” John 3:16.
How beautiful! God’s love for every one of
us. Come; let’s bask in the symphony together.
This
article is copyrighted by the author. All Rights Reserved. No
part of this article may be reprinted without permission of the
author.
©Copyright 2004
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