Dynamics of Life
Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! Psalm 47:1 (ESV)
As a choir director, I am always working to introduce musical terminology and get the singers to adhere to what is suggested. Some are simply loud or soft but others are a tad more challenging. It takes marked music to remember.
We were created to be just like music; our lives also have dynamics. There are times when we are ‘fff’ or triple loud, times when we are ‘ppp’ super soft and everything in between. I enjoy working with crescendos (get louder) and diminuendo (get softer). Our daily lives are just full of these markings.
Being a morning person, I accelerate quickly. That is my tempo until about 2pm but then I tend to experience a personal ritardando (slow down). When I can get a nap, I go back to a tempo (original tempo).
If we only had one dynamic, we’d be considered a most boring composition. No one would want to sing/play and certainly no one would want to listen. We must be thankful for all the dynamics of life: jubilant, with feeling, reverent, connected, staccato, smooth, accents, and all the rest.
One of the toughest things in music is to roadmap a song with repeats and codas. In our daily lives, we are always trying to follow the signs and not have to do this over and over until we get it right. You see, we have the greatest Composer of all times. He knows what our lives should sound like.
Imagine what our world would be like if everyone learned their music and followed the dynamics of our Lord, Jesus Christ! What a symphony we would hear and to know that we are playing our own special part—I can’t begin to imagine!
Do you think He uses sforzando? Sometimes we are suddenly forced into a new situation because He wants us (and others) to pay attention. We tend to wander off and play our own music—music He hasn’t written, and it sounds horrible because we are not in harmony with each other.
Let us learn to hear His directions and make beautiful music for the rest of our lives. As we join in with others in the symphony of life, teach us to stay in tune and feel the music.
Holy Lord, thank You for the gift of music and composing the greatest song of all time. Help us to hear Your directions and keep the tempo You have set for us. AMEN.