The Jar of Tears

A few months ago I gave a devotion on fear at a local event.  We looked at 1 John 4:18 and how perfect love drives out fear.  We know that this perfect love only comes from the Father above and we know that He is always good, so we don't need to be afraid.

Sounds really simple, right?

If we know this about love, we don't need to be afraid.  However, sometimes life throws you a curve ball and fear creeps in.  A couple of months ago, I found myself feeling very guilty for being afraid.  I would cry myself to sleep and then feel horribly ashamed for having done so -- only to have this repeated a couple of nights later. Then I stumbled across Psalm 56.  The writer opens by saying, ¨Whenever I am afraid, I trust in You.¨  It is as if the Psalmist has gone through great agony, because in verse 8, he reminds us that our tears are collected in a bottle, and that the Lord keeps record of them.

Now that is a beautiful picture.  Reflect on it for a moment -- God loves us so much that even when we are afraid and unable to trust Him, He collects our tears.  It isn't just that He knows how many we have shed.  He collects them and walks with us in love until the day the tears cease, when we are with Him in heaven.

So the next time you are afraid and you find the tears threatening to overflow, remember that the Lord will help you drive out that fear with His perfect love.

The gift of music

Just before Christmas, I received a call from a young lady who was calling on behalf of her mother, who didn't speak English, but who wanted to give singing lessons to her husband as a Christmas gift.  Over the years, I have had several inquiries like this, usually via my website or through recommendations.  These kinds of requests literally make my day.  Often, the person inquiring about lessons will tell me how much their spouse loves to listen to and make music.  Each story of music's role in a person's life is different and beautiful, especially when told through someone else's eyes.

Let me let you in on a secret. I am really horrible at gift giving, mostly because most people I know are like me -- we all have too much stuff in our cupboards already.  In addition to music lessons, there are so many gifts that are very affordable and don't take up any room in our cupboards!  These include an encouraging card, a walk in the park, or a home-cooked meal.

Many of my students have young children at home and/or jobs requiring them to travel, and I always admire their dedication to something that is in most cases, ¨just a hobby.¨  Even more so, I admire their spouse's generosity in not only giving lessons as a gift, but providing space and time for the learning to happen.  And perhaps that is the greatest gift of all -- encouraging another to pursue the things that are most closest to their heart.

If you are interested in singing lessons, feel free to check out:  www.singinglessonshelsinki.wordpress.com.

What does God think about me?

     I am so thankful it is Friday night because this has been such a long week! Sometimes we get very focused on how well we perform.  However, I am not talking about music here -- there are so many ways in which we might feel we don't measure up -- in our relationships, how effective we are at work, how many times we went to the gym during the week, how much we are able to serve at church... and the list goes on.

     We know that in Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus encourages us to give Him our burdens and that He will give us rest.  Maybe you are like me though, and you reflect over your week and the things you should have done better, or you wonder how you can possibly rest when you have a long to-do list waiting?  Procrastinating surely will not help and feelings of guilt actually suck up a lot of our energy.  I would like to propose another kind of rest that comes from truly understanding the heart of God and how much we are loved and cherished.

     You see, when we truly grasp the very nature of God and that He is crazy about us, we don't need to worry about what other people think.  In addition, we can lay those difficult conversations, unanswered e-mails, our financial decisions, our latest work-out plan, and even our insecurities before Him, because I can assure you, God sees past those things into our heart.  His love is not dependent upon our performance, or lack thereof.  His love is unconditional and unmerited.  

     My weekend is looking a bit busy (a rehearsal, three church services, a major document deadline and an overflowing laundry basket!), but I am hanging on to God's truth about me, His unending grace and am confidently trusting that it will be a blessed (and even restful!) weekend.

¨Confidence and courage are a product of knowing who God is and what He thinks about you.¨  Terry Hoggard.

The Purple Heart

Several months ago, I had a group of friends over at my place and a lively discussion arose centered on -- of all things -- heart emojis.  One young lady revealed that she uses yellow hearts for acquaintances or friends she doesn't know very well, while another said she reserves red for very close relationships and special messages.  In addition, the consensus was that green and blue hearts could also be included when wanting to communicate general affection, but the group unanimously agreed that purple hearts often convey a negative meaning, so they avoided purple.

All except me, of course.

It is no small secret that my favourite colour is purple.  I own a relatively large amount of purple clothing and accessories and just today, I was caught writing in my diary in purple ink.

Immediately, the room erupts into laughter, as everyone realizes that I have, in all probability, sent a lot of purple hearts to people whom I care deeply about.  As the discussion continued, we came to a very fundamental conclusion -- communication must take into account the recipient.  No matter how great a communicator you are, understanding your audience is crucial to getting your message heard.  In order to effectively reach out to someone, we need to know their heart, and be aware that their love language could very well be different from our own.

In my world, purple is the colour of royalty! 💜

Grace for the choir conductor

Several months ago, my choir was invited to perform at a large conference involving delegates and leaders from different church denominations within Finland.  The MC had asked if she could interview me before we sang.  I assumed she was going to ask me questions about the choir or about our repertoire and was somewhat taken aback when she began with, ¨the theme for our weekend is grace.  I would like to know -- what is grace for you, as a choir director? ¨

Although my initial reaction was one of surprise, I knew immediately the question was a good one.  However, coming up with an appropriate answer, on the spot in front of so many people, made me feel a bit jittery.  I decided to begin carefully, ¨grace is when all your singers turn up at the right time, to the right place, with the correct music and appropriate attire.¨  This answer garnered a few chuckles from both choir and audience, giving me courage to continue.  ¨Grace is also leading a group of individuals from different nations, who speak different languages, are different in age, but who as a group, have decisively come together to communicate and understand one another in order to create beautiful music.¨

I have continued to reflect on this question since the conference.  My choir is much like any group of people -- families, churches, clubs, organizations, colleagues on the job -- you name it. To be sure, there is a distinct difference in that this is a voluntary group and no one is forced to join if they don't want to; however, occasionally singers admit to me they didn't choose the choir -- they just felt called to be there.  This honest admittance, often said in passing, has brought me to humility in my role as the director, since Finland is a nation rich in choral groups.  The truth is that we as a society have become more and more consumer oriented -- if you don't like your new smartphone, you can easily return it for another, and if the church you are attending isn't meeting your needs, why not try visiting the one down the street, or better yet, skip the inconvenience of getting dressed on a Sunday and instead listen to online sermons delivered by an eminent preacher, from the comfort of your own living room.  We have a hard time committing to things nowadays because there are a myriad of distractions and activities to choose from.

The consumer mentality however, often does not prioritize nor fully recognize grace.  Grace overlooks an abundance of imperfections.  If we choose to sit at home alone, we miss out on the opportunity to experience God's grace though interacting with others.  Grace gives us the strength to see past our differences so that we can lend a hand to our neighbour, build a church together, invite a refugee family for lunch, or travel to a foreign land with our choir to make beautiful music.  There is something very powerful that happens when a group of individuals sing together -- the intertwining of individual voices creates a fabric of glorious sound that, as Beethoven reminds us in the final movement of his Ninth Symphony, is reflective of our shared humanity -- humanity that would not exist if it were not for His grace.