In Sunday school today we were in Chapter 8 of the Joseph Fielding Smith manual. There was one particular quote that got my mind going! This is what it says: "[God] chooses men and call them to be instruments in his hands to accomplish his purposes, and he guides and directs them in their labors." My mind immediately tuned out the rest of what was being said as this following thought formed in my mind: "God is the ultimate conductor!"
Yes, I mean a choir/orchestra/band conductor! A few of you are probably laughing or saying things like, "You would!" To that, I laugh right along with you and say: "Yes, I would and I did!" But let me explain how cool this is!
To do this, however, I must introduce the "cast" and what their role is:
- Conductor: God and Jesus Christ
- A music conductor teaches the musicians about the piece. They guide the rehearsals and the young musicians to how they should sing/play. They put in countless hours coming up with ways to help their ensemble grow and become the best they can be! A conductor is also a musician, just like those he/she is directing. In fact, the conductor was once sitting where the young musicians currently are. However after experience, growth, and particular choices they have become the conductor of the ensemble.
- Section Leaders: Prophets, Apostles, Stake Presidents, and Bishops
- A section leader is somebody whom the conductor usually picks within a section (flute, trumpet, soprano, tenor, violin, etc.) to be a leader within that section. They listen for particular problems within the section and then address it to the conductor, who then gives direction on how to fix the problem. They are the eyes and ears amongst the young musicians for the conductor. If there is a problem within the section, the section leader takes it to the conductor and asks what they can do to help solve the issue. And vice versa; if the conductor hears an issue amongst a section he/she will take it to the section leader and give guidance on how to fix the issue.
- The Young Musicians: Everybody
- This group is made up on all sorts of people! There are people who attend church regularly, there are people who do drugs, there are people who suffer from depression, there are people who are living paycheck to paycheck, there are people who are perfectly happy where they are, there are those who want to be there, and there are those who are being forced by their parents to be there. However, every individual is important. Each has a unique gift to offer that helps magnify the group. These musicians must practice, listen, and be willing to learn and try new things in order to progress to become the best they can be.
Now, a little lesson about instruments, they cannot fulfill their purpose without an outside force. Sure they could make a great paperweight or be a beautiful decoration, but that is not the instruments function. If I had a trombone and I wanted it to make music I couldn't just sit it on the chair and say "Play something for me!" Well, I guess I could, but nothing would happen. I would have to sit down and blow into it to make just a noise come out. That is where the conductor comes in once again! The conductor teaches me how to play, where to play, and then lets me experiment and practice. He teaches me my role within the ensemble and then I go to work and the growth begins.
When we are called by God it is because He sees our potential and our gifts. He knows that our talents, personalities, and even experiences can help build people around us. So, He puts us in situations where we can share those strengths with others. Sometimes God puts us in places where we are so uncomfortable and are not sure what we are doing. That is when He sends others--with their talents and abilities--to us. They help teach us, uplift us, and edify us.
We all have the same goal, to become like God. How do we do that? The conductor gives us the recipe in every rehearsal! We pull out the piece(s) of music we are performing and He teaches us what He knows about being a musician. It ranges from breath support to dynamics. During the rehearsal we are taught what it takes to be where He is. After the rehearsal it is up to us to practice what He has taught us. Are we going to sing with inflection or are we going to sound like Daleks (Doctor Who reference for ya)? Are we going to follow what He has guided us to do or are we going to do our own thing? The choice is completely up to us! Sometimes we forget, and that is okay. Our wonderful conductor has given us section leaders to help remind us what we should be doing.
If we practice we will improve and can become more like our conductor. The same is true in our lives; if we practice living like God, we can (and will) become like Him. We are able to change mistakes, we are made for a wise and glorious purpose! With God, we can know what the purpose is and how we can achieve it. He has place people in our lives that can help us repent and come back to Him. When we are living the way we should be, to go back to this analogy, we are able to perform the lovely and beautiful piece(s) we have practiced for so long. When we are living the way we should be, we are able to become more like Heavenly Father.
I have had several conversations with people the last few days, and I want to close this post with this thought: YOU are special! I want to use the ensemble to illustrate this. Can you imagine Handel's "Messiah" without the string section? What about the Sopranos? Tenors? It is hard to imagine. But if you take just one section out of this beautiful work, you loose a beautiful color, timbre, that helps create the piece.
You are no different!
You are a child of God who has gone through some pretty rough times to get where you are. You are a child of God who has strengths that uplift and build those around you. You are a child of God who is important and valued.
I had an amazing choir director at BYU-Idaho by the name of Brother Kempton who taught me this lesson. The first thing he taught me in that ensemble was that I had value! I will be the first to admit that I am not the best singer in the world (I'm not a bad singer, but I know that I have a lot of growing to do). When I became part of the Collegiate Singer's I did not believe that I had anything to offer the group. My voice was quiet and underdeveloped, but Brother Kempton saw my potential. He saw things in myself that I did not think helped the choir, but it did. I later ended up becoming a section leader and then an assistant conductor. We have that same opportunity in our lives!
You are important! God loves you! He is "conducting" you and sending people into your life that can help you become more like Him. He wants you to succeed; He doesn't give you trials to discourage you. He gives you the trials because He knows that after you trudge through it, you will be a better person. Through those trials, you will become like Him.
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