Harmony

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. -- Romans 12:16

I know nothing about music.  I never understood harmony or melody or any of that stuff.  My immediate family was not musical at all.  None of us sang or thought we could sing or played any musical instrument.  I am told that harmony sounds pleasant because it involves balance.  Something creates tension, and something releases tension. 

To live in harmony, then, doesn’t mean uniformity.  Even I know enough to realize there is no music in a single tone.  That is not the symphony the Lord has written.  There is tension and conflict and resolution; there is tragedy countered by triumph.  Most of us doubt life is worthwhile apart from this masterwork.  We could wonder if life is even possible without it.   

We need to harmonize with those around us.  To do that, we need harmony in our hearts, to resolve the tension in our own souls.  There are aspects of my nature that trouble me, that create discord and dissonance. 

The events and my reaction are notes in the melody, occurring in time, horizontally.  I need the vertical element of divine harmony to intersect, like the upright of the Cross, to bring resolution and joy.