Freshness
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! . . . It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there God bestows God’s blessing, even life evermore.” – Psalm 133:1,3
Our ears know the difference between harmony and cacophony. In harmony we hear a unity of sound, caused by an arrangement of musical notes that complement and complete each other. Cacophony is an assault upon the ear, caused by musical notes that clash and compete with each other, creating a dissonance of sound.
Each of us plays an instrument on the sound track of life. Our refrain across the centuries has not been harmonious. Our clashing and competition have reverberated through our history in the discordant notes of violent confrontation, religious rivalry and governmental gridlock.
But every so often, persons with different instruments, from different sections, who read from different scores, find a way out of hostility into harmony. Every now and then, people are moved to look beyond the notes of their myopic life concerns and notice the broader orchestration of life itself. Once in a while, the muse that inspires cohesion in the midst of our deepest complexities, wins the day.
When we cause the things that divide us to be superseded by the mandates of our common survival and our interdependent advancement, we bring upon ourselves the freshness of new life.
It’s like the freshness of morning dew nestled upon a mountain peak. It’s like the freshness of politicians who place the principles of democracy above party loyalty. It’s like the freshness of inter-faith dialogue and interracial reconciliation. It’s like the freshness of a global commitment to a clean, sustainable environment.
Prayer
Lord, give me a fresh resolve to make the chords of harmony less infrequent in my life. Amen.
About the AuthorKenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia.