The Great Conductor

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”

– C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Or,

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

– Ecclesiastes 1:9

I emerge from a “classroom” in a crowded little home, standing behind a bookshelf leading to a hallway. Students brush past me with instrument cases in hand hurrying to their positions. Music stands are set up around the room, the student pianist takes his seat and the director, with guitar in hand, begins to tune. The students unzip their cases to reveal violins, they place them up to their chins and follow the tuning. A feeling I have no known word for sweeps over me, mixed in with the very clear nostalgia staring at me directly, and I close my eyes, breathe and simply smile.

I spent my years of school (apart from college) in music classes, in band halls, in orchestra performances and in theaters. Every October/November we would take a field trip to watch the Dallas Symphony Orchestra practice and I always loved how I felt when that first violin note was played to warm-up. There was excitement and focus and a lulled peace that always seemed to hang in the air for the duration of each note. It makes me feel alive in a very special way to re-imagine it. I was thrown back to those seats as I stood in this little “library” living room for the ministry we’ve been working with in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa called Beats and Books. 

We assist with administrative tasks, tutoring various subjects, administering tests, discipleship and teaching music to middle school – high school age kids. It’s a chaotic whirlwind of a day everyday, but by the time the clock hits 4:45 and our bus arrives to carry us home we’re always shocked with the ease and swiftness of the day passed. 

When I visited North Carolina back in August, there was a day of imparting prayers at the church I visited in relation to 1 Corinthians 12:28 (“And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.“) and I felt the overwhelming urge to have “Teacher” prayed over me. I wanted to be able to teach people the things I had spent the 27 years of my life learning, whatever that meant and whatever that looked like. It was something I felt I feared and didn’t see a reason to continue to fear. New things can do that to ya.

To my delayed delight, as I sat down during the first day of our ministry to thumb through the piano lesson I was to be teaching 4 students that afternoon it hit me that God was answering that prayer very tangibly. I stopped in adoration and complete gratitude. I’ve never been a skilled musician, I’ve never taken the time to master technical skills, but teaching piano basics was as easy as breathing to me, and throwing in encouragement to make it more fun than my own lessons sounded like an exciting challenge. It was magical and I was amazed by the fact that God was able to use that prayer and use my simple skills to help out some beautiful students down here. It was inspiring and these kids are incredible. They deserve a much better teacher than me, but I’ll be faithful to give them the best I have. 

At 4:00 every Mon – Thurs the student ensemble uses the main area, known as the library, as their practice room. Cornie, one of the founders of Beats and Books, is also their director. He plays guitar and sings with them. He is their conductor. 

As I stood with my eyes closed, listening to the ensemble, I got lost in their playing and was transported back to the joy I had as a kid in school during my music courses, even the ones that felt long and unbearable some days. There was something incredible about everyone having a part to play and it coming together to form this moving moment in time of sound. Romantic, one may call it. 

At the end of their run-through, Cornie praised them corrected them and then turned to each individual part and encouraged “Did you hear that we sound better?!” then followed with the question “What do you think you can do to be better at your part?” and one by one they answered. He had to listen to each individual part to see how it sounded as a whole, he had to lead and direct them. He had to conduct all these beautiful individuals to create a masterpiece TOGETHER. I think I take that idea for granted too often, how difficult it really is for people to really get on that level.

It made me think of a couple things: 

1. The verses at the top of my post. There is nothing new under the sun. Something that used to discourage me and my creativity, but in this moment listening to them I thought about every conductor ever – they have a role they have to fulfill, it doesn’t change. For a specific piece of music, people have roles that won’t change, like a classical piece of music. But the individual is what makes it special. It may not be original but it does connect us and provides an opportunity to show off God’s beauty and unity. There’s some looseness to this and some wiggle room for creativity and individual flare, but the overall success is dependent upon the conductor to hear every single instrument and know when to bring out one section or to quiet another. It’s a beautiful dance.

2. God is our ultimate conductor. The image formed before me with my eyes closed of God, wearing a white tailcoat facing the world, but specifically everyone in that room. What did it take to get each of us in that room at that very moment to come together to play more than just music, but to take part in the overall symphony of life and His greater plan. Would we listen to the tuning? Would we enjoy the part He gave us to play or look on in envy at the soloist? Or would we just  be happy to be a part of something greater than ourselves? He waved his hands and closed them to a rest at the end of the song and I let out another deep breath and found myself in awe of His handiwork. 

This has continued since the beginning of time and will continue on until Christ comes back. 

For these students, it’s just a song to play at a concert, then they graduate and move on. And the next set of students roll in and start fresh. But I pray that it ends up meaning much more than that. There is nothing new under the sun, humbling, faithful and reassuring, not scary and colorless. Originality in God’s kingdom looks a lot different than I ever expected.  We get to pass that stuff down to generation after generation. Culture, legacy, truth, love. You get the point.

Thank you for reading along! I hope the Lord speaks to you through these words. Please join me in prayer below 🙂 And a fun little excerpt!!

Hey God, thank you that you not only hear our prayers, but with a willing heart, you will use us to work things out for your good. Let us be faithful to always give away the things that we have been given and toss aside all fear that something has no value, or that we are incapable of giving good things. Thank you that if we truly seek it, you can be found in every single moment and every single particle, because apart from you things are just vapor, meaningless, nothing worth pursuing. Please bless these children as they enter testing season and honor their time spent learning these instruments and learning more and more. Thank you for everything. 

Since our first location in Johannesburg, a song called Jerusalem has followed us and this just happens to be the song the kids are learning for their ensemble. Check it out for a lovely taste of Africa and of joy. Be careful though, it’s easy to get hooked! (There’s also a little dance that goes with it….) See below!

I hope to have another blog out within the month, but I want to thank those of you who stop by to read these. It means so much to me that you would take time out of your day to see what God is doing and how I’m doing my best to communicate it. If you feel inclined, let me know you popped in in the comments, even if it’s just a smiley face, it’s encouraging to know people are out there!

And second, thank you for those of you who call me friend and stick with me. It is a sacrifice, as I was reminded by a friend here, to befriend people who are inconsistently around. Your sacrifice doesn’t go unnoticed and I am always deeply grateful. Love you 🙂