Monday, December 5, 2011

Doing It with Others


It’s different doing it (whatever the it is) with others than doing “it” alone.

Whatever the “it” may be, the very doing of it with others makes it of a different order altogether.  Acting in concert transforms the action into something it would not have otherwise been.  It’s not simply that we do the “it” either alone or with others.  By acting with others, as opposed to alone, the very “it” is itself changed.

Yesterday I sat in a group of musicians, average age 12.  As part of my cello lessons, I was included, with the other few adults, in the concert recital.

But because of my grown-up duties, I had been unable to attend the group rehearsal, so had only the brief warm-up before the concert to actually play with the other instruments.

Thus, when the piano accompaniment came along and we were clipping along at a different tempo, I was lost.  When other instruments near me were playing melody to my harmony lines, I was totally thrown.

I had practiced for a solo, but was being called to play in concert.

The cello is an orchestral instrument.

Like the cello, we human beings were crafted to be orchestral instruments playing symphonies, with the rare solo moment, made even more special for the symphonic surround.

There is little, if any, point, to practicing for a solo existence when I was crafted to live and act and have my being in community.

6 comments:

  1. Amen and Amen, Beth! Thanks for your orchestral analogies!

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  2. Doug - it's pretty humbling to be doing this at 56 - but I'm having a wonderful time & learning alot! Thanks for reading. Beth

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  3. You know I had never thought of that in that way I played in the community of orchestra for more years than I want to count-- How profound maybe just maybe God was preparing me for being in community long before I was ever aware-that God was calling- Thanks for writing what you did- made my day in the midst of my Nurse Melissa duties

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  4. Melissa, Thanks and am glad it was a lift in your day - you should have been there - if only for the comic relief of watching my face - I'm sure it was the very picture of what it means to be LOST - I felt like a 4 year old always trying to run to keep up w/ the grown-ups and tripping over my own feet in the rush - humbling but fun nevertheless! Beth

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  5. Beth - just beautiful. The thing I love best about playing in an orchestra is that we all cover for each other - if one instrument gets lost there are usually others to take up the slack - a wonderful analogy for a God community.

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  6. Liz, I got a glimpse of what it could be like - but you're right - it carried right along even when I didn't - what a wonderful gift. Peace, Beth

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