What’s your song?

Music is stressful. It doesn’t matter what genre, artist, band or instrument; all music is full of stress!

For instance, let’s look at a standard, six-stringed guitar. Depending on the gauge, each string is under a specific amount of tension. When added all together, the guitar neck can experience around 200lbs of tension! Imagine if you walked around with 200lbs hanging from your neck. You likely wouldn’t be able to move. But this tension is necessary because it provides the starting point for each string’s tune and, collectively, the guitar’s sound. However, a taut string doesn’t make sound. Only when it is plucked does it generate an audible tune.

This stress is also seen in the drum. The drum skin is pulled tight so that, again it is under tension. Then when the drum head is hit, the tight skin vibrates and a sound is generated. Tension and stress cause sound.

Our lives may be the most intricate instruments ever created. David mentions the following in 14th verse of Psalm 139:

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.”

The wonderful works that David writes about are humans! In the biblical worldview, God is the creator of the universe and all life, including humans. And I think we would all agree if I said humans are incredibly unique and marvelously crafted. In fact, even a few modern day scientists would agree.

Over 30 years ago, science writer, Iasac Asimvo wrote, “In man is a three-pound brain, which, as far as we know, is the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter in the universe.” More recently, theoretical physicist Michio Kaku has said, “The human brain has 100 billion neurons, each neuron connected to 10,000 other neurons. Sitting on your shoulders is the most complicated object in the known universe.”

As we can see we are intricately designed instruments. Also, similar to the drum skin, we are getting pulled in different directions by life’s demands (work, family, finances, etc.). This equates to the tension that all of us feel on a daily basis. The tension may not be fun, but it is necessary for sound.  All of a sudden, an extra stressor comes into our life. Maybe it comes in the form of a subtle pluck or a more violent hit, whichever it is, in that moment our life begins to shake and make a sound.

Take a step back and hear the sound of your life. What kind of sound are you making? Is it a beautiful melody of love, grace, hope and truth? Or is it an annoying sound of despair, fear, anxiety and deception? Spend some time in prayer asking God to tune your life to His so that the music you create glorifies your maker!

Be blessed.

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