Among the realities
we face as children of God living in
a fallen world is that some days are
difficult, days when our faith and our
fortitude are tested.
So what do we do in such times?
In those moments when the melody
of joy falters below our power of expression, we may have
to stand silent for a time and simply listen to others,
drawing strength from the splendor of the music
around us--to hold tenaciously to the line in this
hymn that reassures, "Jesus listening can hear
the songs [you] cannot sing."
On those days when we
feel a little out of tune, a little less than what we
think we see or hear in others, I would ask us to remember
it is by divine design that not all the voices in
God's choir are the same. It takes variety--sopranos
and altos, baritones and basses--to
make rich music.
When we disparage
our uniqueness or try to conform to
fictitious stereotypes, then we lose the richness
of tone and timbre that God intended when He
created a world of diversity.
Believe in yourself,
and believe in Him. Don't demean your worth or
denigrate your contribution. Above all, don't abandon
your role in the chorus. Why? Because you're unique. You're irreplaceable. The loss of even one voice
diminishes every other singer in this great mortal
choir of ours, including the loss of
those who feel they are on the margins--margins
of society or the margins of the Church.
We should stand as close as
humanly possible to the Savior and Redeemer of the world,
where we will be able to savor forever that most precious
anthem of all--"the song of redeeming love."