For our daughter's birthday in November, my wife and I got her a little pink guitar. Now if you know me, then you know this is not just some plastic toy guitar. This is the real deal, but pint-sized for our half-pint! I tuned it to an “open” tuning so that all she has to do is strum across the strings or put one finger down and it plays a chord. (This is as much for her mother and me as it is for our budding musician.)
As is the case so often with three-year-olds, MJ played her guitar excitedly the day she got it, but she soon moved on to other joys. Recently, however, she has picked it up again. And she has gotten better! She was playing the other day and actually sounded…well, tolerable. She let me have a turn, then she walked over and said, “No, daddy, like this…,” and showed me how to pick the thing. I see a bright future for that kid!
Our heavenly Daddy often behaves similarly with us. He strums the chords of life, inviting us to come to him so he might teach us to play. Our responses, though, are varied. Sometimes we turn a deaf ear to God’s song, choosing instead to only play our own tune. Other times, we intend to do and live well, but we refuse to climb up into his lap and spend the time it takes to learn from him. And occasionally, we hear his song, pay diligent attention to his instruction, and reach out and strum the beautiful music of a life well lived.
This is a daily pattern. Each day the Father picks up the instrument of our lives and begins to show us what we might do and be in him. And each day we have the choice to get “in tune” with him and to experience the day at his tempo, playing our version of his song, or to step out into the world all out of tune and distracted by whatever music pounds loudest in our direction. I would offer the advice of one of my favorite hymns: Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own!
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