“To hold the note is to spoil the song.” Richard Paul Evans

When I read Evans’ words I thought about how we try to do this in our lives. Life is a series of notes that make up the melody of our lives. Sometimes the melody is melancholy, other times it is uplifting but the melody always moves along in tune with the events we experience.

There are many aspects to music—major and minor chords, harmony, counterpoint, and much more. The instrument also adds to the beauty of the song. Pitch and volume are important. As we look back on the past, we can see how we have experienced these different aspects of life.

When we are young, we can hardly wait for the next measure. The rhythm is fast and we don’t want too many rests between the notes of our years. As we mature, the rhythm does not slow down when we marry and have a family. We look forward to those rests and there are moments when we want to hold the notes a little longer.

Holding the notes to enjoy them is fine for a little while but impossible to sustain. The melody needs to go on, to bring fullness and completion to the song we are composing. We encounter those minor, sad-sounding chords at different intervals and try to hurry through them. These are not the notes we want to hold onto. Sometimes it seems as though they will go on indefinitely but eventually they move us to the major, happier chords. Our song fluctuates between major and minor melodies to show us that joys and sorrows are not the whole composition. It is the rests between the notes that allow us to continue writing our unique song.

In life, a pause helps us enjoy certain times. You’ve heard, “Take time to smell the roses.” We stop to enjoy the moments that bring us joy. We also need a pause to think about the difficulties we are experiencing. It is during those pauses and rests in the midst of difficulties that we can allow prayer to slow us down and help us with the interval of sorrows. Prayer allows us to go inward to listen to the deep stirrings in our hearts. Prayer is the answer to the call we have received from God to listen to Him. Listening brings us comfort and peace as we quiet the instruments banging in our minds. Harmony within comes as we silence the noises that prevent us from hearing the Eternal One Who has the unfinished song in His hands.

Prayer is essential so that we do not hold onto the note that appeals to us and miss the ones that will bring us to a greater understanding of the music from the Great Composer. There is purpose in each note and it moves us to the next stanza to reveal the special song made just for us.

Listen. The song is yours. Savor each note. Rest. Pause. Pick up the rhythm and flow with it. Whether long or short, the song will lead you to the final measure, the final note of the composition created just for you. As that note fades, you will hear a new composition, a new eternal song in harmony with all those whose earthly song was completed before yours. There will be no more minor chords of sorrow as we sing the joyous song our God prepared for us before time began. Sing, dance, rest and know that each note, whether long or short, is bringing you to the new song heard only when our earthly melody is silenced. Do not fear the final measure. It is only the beginning of a new song.

Alma Maish July 16, 2008