Grace Notes
The thief comes only to
steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to
the full. John 10:10
I love music. I love to listen, I love
to sing, and I love to dance. Music can take to places that nothing else can.
It can calm your soul when you are hurting and it can give you a way to
celebrate when words are not enough. There are different elements of music. The
first is melody. This is the tune or the lead line. The second is harmony. This consists of notes
that are different than the melody but work together to make it richer. There is a third element that not everyone
is familiar with. These are called grace notes. They are “extra” notes. They
are not even written into the main line of the music. They are smaller and are
often found at the top of the staff. They consist of runs and descants that
make the music even more full and rich.
Our lives are like music. They too
consist of melody, harmony and grace notes. The melody of our life is our walk
with God and the purpose that he has given us. The rhythm varies and the key
may change from major to minor and back again, but God has written the music of
our lives and directs it. Harmony in our lives consists of the people we walk
with through our lives. Other people
bring fullness to our lives and make it more exciting, even though there may be
discordant notes. You may wonder if God really wanted you to play with the
people he put in your family or church. Again, God directs the symphony of our
lives. Then there are the grace notes in our lives. These are the surprises
that God has for us. They may be times when we are down and a friend calls out
of the blue. It may be a friend you meet
unexpectedly who turns out to be a mainstay in your life. It could be that
something you do for fun, like music or writing or drawing, turns out to be
used by God to touch others. Even better are the times when you are spending
time in worship or prayer and the God of the universe comes to meet with you.
There are so many things in my life that have been more than I imagined.
In this life we have an enemy. The word
says he comes to steal, kill and destroy, but God says that He comes that we
might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10) In Ephesians He tells us
through Paul that He can do exceeding, abundantly beyond all that we can ask or
even imagine. The God of Heaven and
earth is our Father. He has chosen us as His children and wants to have
relationship with us and lavish His love on us. Let’s look for the grace notes
in our lives, whether in sunsets, phone calls, or other ways that God chooses
to speak to us and point them out to others, too.
