One of the joys of my life as a Minister of Music has been leading a church choir.
It’s interesting to any choir director to watch the responses of choir members when reading through an anthem for the very first time. Invariably, the most vocal responses come from choir members who don’t like it and are quick to share their opinions.
Having sung in choirs all my life (starting with Sunbeam Choir as a preschooler!) I understand some songs must “grow” on you. When, as the director, I heard negative comments following the first read-through of a song I would say something like, “Give it a chance. When we can sing it well as a choir, then you will have earned the right to express your opinion. Remember, I don’t ask you to like everything we sing; I just ask you to sing it!”
God probably feels similar when I balk at the circumstances of my life. When He catches me pouting, I sense Him saying, “Look, you don’t have to like what I am doing. I just ask you to be obedient.”
Most of the time, when that new anthem is learned and can be sung well it becomes one of the choir’s favorites – even to the person who complained about it at first. Such is the case with obeying God’s directive.
Sometimes we must make a greater investment into our objective. And I must remember…the greater the investment, the greater the return!
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