The Lord’s Melody

I recently did something I’m sure that that no one else has ever done before: bitten off more than I could chew, yet I believed I could do it—by myself. I occasionally have opportunities to lead and direct different things and in one of my endeavors, I had the chance to make some changes. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I had made a mess of everything, not just in that organization, but also in other areas of my life. It was almost like the chaos just started reproducing. Things went off the rails. I spent some time in the scriptures, on my knees, pondering, meditating, and trying to figure out what to do. Then I found inspiration in an unusual location.

Occasionally, my iPhone wigs out and my musical playlist takes on a life of its own and randomly picks songs, some of whichI have not heard in a long, long time. Randomly, in the midst of my despair, a song by David Archuleta called “Glorious” came on, and as I listened to the words, I suddenly become overcome with emotion. I felt my eyes well up with tears as I realized that the lyrics were an answer to my fervent prayers. One of the lyrics states “There are times when you might feel aimless, you can’t see the places where you belong, but you will find that there is a purpose, it’s been there, within you all along.” I felt the purpose I was looking for open up for me. It had been there, but it had been covered by so much other junk I had piled on that I couldn’t see it.

Another part of the song talks about how everyone plays a piece of the melody, just like an orchestra. The melody moves from one section to another and together it makes an amazing piece of music, almost inspirational. As I pondered, I realized that I had been trying to do it all. I was trying to play the woodwinds and the drums, along with the string instruments and the brass. I had been doing it all and it sounded terrible. I had not been allowing others to feel the melody and play it their way, or in this case, let people make part of the music or project themselves and make it theirs.

As I relaxed, I was reminded of a scripture in Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways, saith the Lord.” I had been relying on my thoughts and my ways, and I realized that I needed to open my heart and my mind to the influence of the Lord. I needed to listen to him and his inspiration—n ot that he would do everything for me, but because he would guide me. In the end, things would be better for myself, but more importantly for the rest of the wonderful people I was working with.

It is my hope and prayer that we might listen for our part, and let others play their parts, so that we do not have to do it “all.” It is quite possible that the melody will be even sweeter as the Lord works through us to be an instrument in His hands.

John Boston is a local physician, husband, father, grandfather, believer in Christ and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.