It was only natural then for our kids to be a part of the
band at the Christian school that our Independent Study Program was a part of. When our oldest son finally reached the age
to join the beginning band my wife and I, our son and his younger sister jumped
into my wife’s hot burgundy Pontiac wagon (complete
with mags and wide tires of course!) and headed for a local music store in downtown
Santa Rosa. After signing the rental agreement
we handed Josh his shiny trumpet and with a big smile he practically ran to the
car!
I’m not sure who was happier that day, Josh or my wife! When we returned home my wife and I grabbed a
cool drink and sat down at the kitchen table and simply smiled at each
other. After a few moments we heard the
garage door opening up and our eyes bulged from our heads as the sound of a
loud, totally out of tune, obnoxious noise began to reverberate through the
neighborhood! You guessed it… Josh was
proudly announcing his new instrument to the world! Well, I am not sure who got out the door to
the garage first, but together we flew to the front of the garage where he
stood! I don’t recall our exact words
but I do remember that we both encouraged him that he might want to get a
little more proficient on the horn before he played for an audience! (which he later did along with just about
any other instrument he ever touched!)
It was a verse from I John chapter two that led me along
that particular path down memory lane this morning. John, who was also known as the apostle of
love, was telling his readers that “whoso
keepth his (God’s) word, in him verily is the love of God perfected…” (I
John 2:5 KJV) For some reason that
statement got me to thinking about the opposite effects of love and I recalled
Paul’s vivid description in I Corinthians 13:1.
Here the apostle who had actively experienced the opposite of Godly love
declares that if I “have no love, I have
become a reverberating gong or a clashing symbol.” (I Corinthians 13:1
International Standard Version)
I have to tell you that I also have first-hand experience of
the reverberating gong of those who “thought”
that somehow their unloving actions and words were helping the situation! And they are professing Christians! Their words to my ears were like the sound
that was emanating from Josh’s new trumpet on that warm Fall afternoon many
years ago! It did not make me want to
stay and hear more. It made me want to
plug my ears and run as far away as I could!
Have you ever experienced that sound before? Worse yet, have you ever made that sound for
others to hear? I know that I have a few
times before and after being on the receiving end of that noise it has taught
me a lesson that will cause me to think twice before ever uttering a word that
might evoke a reverberating gong in another’s ear!
A few years later as I sat in the auditorium of Santa Rosa
Christian School and listened to my son play a harmonious solo during the year
end band concert, I was proud of his efforts, of his growth musically and as an
individual and thought of how much more enjoyable were his melodious tunes of
that night compared to the reverberations of his first public solo!
I think that it is important to for us to constantly keep
our own ears attune to the notes that are coming from our mouths! There is a right time to practice in the
privacy of the practice room and a time to play what you’ve learned to a public
audience. It is also important to remember
that the public audience includes your own family as well as those outside your
home. Think about it! Have a great day. Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking
yourself… “What TUNES am I expecting to
MAKE today?” ♫
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