Harmony! When deciding to begin this blog I prayed and thought long about what to title the purpose of my musings. The word "harmony" jumped out, as it seems to be a central theme in the dealings I have with organizations and relationships.
I grew up in a singing family. On vacations or traveling in a car, the four of us would sing songs from church and would do so in harmony. One of us would sing the melody and the other three would sing various notes of harmony: bass, tenor, alto. This was common to us since the religious group I belonged to did not use musical instruments, but sang in 4 part harmony.
Harmony has been an important part of my life. In every organization and relationship, there is struggle to live in true peace...not an absence of conflict, but working through "sour notes" to find a harmony. I do not consider myself to be blind to problems existing, but rather understanding the importance of being in tune to create the most beautiful sound. When conflict goes unresolved, the potential for explosions to occur are heightened.
I sing on the Praise Team in our non-instrumental church community. There are times, the wrong notes are sung by one or more of the sections. Our Worship Leader has a keen ear when those moments occur, and helps us find the harmonious note. It makes a difference. We want the music of the songs to be a joyful noise so that when people hear the lyrics and harmony they are in tune with God and not distracted by conflicting notes.
Harmony is not easy to achieve. It takes long periods of time, great amounts of energy, and consistent focused intent. Harmony takes place by people willingly working towards beautiful music in their relationships. Sometimes outside assistance is needed to work through the disharmony, but it is well worth the expense, time and effort.
God did that for us. Our lives were out of harmony with him and the only way to solve the problem was for Jesus to die in our place. God and Jesus were willing to pay the price so that we could live in harmony with him. When others who do not know God see our lives, God's desire is for a harmony in relationship with him to be visible and heard. The sweet sound will have others searching for the same kind of harmonious life.
The power of harmony goes beyond words and touches hearts.
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