Orchestras

     I have spent considerable time explaining our freedom to choose. It is one of God's greatest gifts to us, along with the atonement of His Son to balance our poor use of the freedom to choose. Nearly from birth, we tend to be a pretty independent creature. I watched a young girl, maybe about 3, during a concert recently. She had several older siblings and her parents nearby. She repeatedly got off and back on her chair, walked around, and a couple of times stomped her feet on her seat delighting in making a noise. She would frown at anyone who even appeared to be trying to control her. At one point she looked back at me with a blatant look of defiance, daring anyone to challenge her. (I didn't interfere because it was disruptive enough for her parents and siblings to try to tame her.)
     Listening to a choir and orchestra playing, it was an excellent metaphorical recommendation for obedience. What if an oboe player decided to play faster than the conductor was leading? What if a violinist or soprano felt like singing a section forte that should be pianissimo? What if anyone decided they wanted to play a totally different song? You get the idea. It is no reflection on the ability of the musician to be obedient to the directions of the conductor or follow the composers notes. As a matter of fact, the better the musician is personally, the better the performance as a whole.
     As we make our individual choices, we need to remain mindful of what part we play in the whole. We are citizens of the world and can either focus on making a beautiful, harmonic community- or in a rebellious, self-centered attempt to establish our personal identity, we merely create unpleasant chaos.