Are you in the Lord’s Symphony?

The noise of life can almost be deafening. You have your phone going off, emails, texts, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat along with regular phone calls where you actually talk to people. Then you have people that you see at home, work, school or church who each represent different responsibilities. Perhaps you’re a mother, father, sister, brother, employer or employee and feel pulled a million different ways. Do you feel like you do everything from the position of being behind? Do you feel like you can never catch up? Do you feel alone; lost?

Are we in professional relationships that feel like they are taking all the good parts of us? Are we in personal relationships that feel more like a roommate than a soul-mate?

Do you feel like you are in the twilight of your life and your purpose and drive are gone? Do you feel like people look through you instead of to you for solutions to problems?

Raise your hand if you feel inadequate when you get home and see dirty dishes or a dog run that needs to be cleaned, and there is a part of you that just wants to sit down and binge watch something on Netflix, or curl up in bed and ignore the world.

If you do feel that way, realize that you are not alone. So many of us are just trying to keep the edges of our lives together, our heads above water and trying not to screw up our lives or the lives of those we love in the process.

Do we sometimes feel that the circus is running us rather than us running the circus? Here is a little secret: sometimes the circus is running us. However, we can choose to react differently. We do not have to run the whole circus; the Lord never intended us to run the whole world or even our lives alone. Moses had Joshua, and Jesus Christ had his apostles; so what makes us think we are supposed to be doing it alone? Where in the scriptures does it say that we must go it alone?

There is a song by the artist David Archuleta called “Glorious.” The song details that we all have a purpose and that our song is part of a greater symphony that the Lord is conducting. Everyone has a part, perhaps not the melody, but we are part of it.

The Lord never said, go out and do everything. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (KJV Matthew 5:3-10).

I love the beatitudes. Christ shows us that different weaknesses can lead to different blessings. There is no “You get it all” blessing. Everyone has a part; everyone receives blessings just as everyone struggles in obvious or private ways. Our blessings complement our trials to complete our song; the blessings of those in our families and communities join together in our symphony.

As the noises and sounds of life distract and deafen us, may we take a moment and realize that we are not alone. The Lord has a part for each of us to play. If we try to listen, we will hear our song, our music, in concert with the Lord’s. As we listen to Him, we will recognize our purpose play a part in the Lord’s plan of hope and peace.

Dr. Boston is a local physician, member of the Mat-Su Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, Colonel in the Alaska Air National Guard, father, husband, grandfather, and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.R