SHEPHERD TO SHEEP
RESOLUTION
(Eccl 3:11) He has made everything beautiful in its time…
I don’t mind problems. As long as you can solve them! But what do you do when you can’t? If you’re like me at those times I’m tempted toward frustration and anxiety. When I see no end in sight it produces fright. And I can’t say good night because things are tight and I don’t feel right. (Forgive the “pastor’s rap” but that’s how it came out! Is that alright?) When things are up in the air I want resolution!
Well let’s keep on the musical track and use that word resolution. Resolution in western tonal music theory is the move of a note or chord from dissonance (an unstable sound) to a consonance (a more final or stable sounding one). You know that feeling when you listen to music where everything builds up? You expect after that point for things to settle down and resolve to a nice finish. It leaves you with a calm feeling after things were up there in the air and looking for a soft landing.
I don’t mind a little drama in life. But when it’s at my ongoing expense I feel like my dream has turned into a nightmare. I look for solutions but just find pollution (okay, I’ll settle down). Living life with strings unattached makes me feel like my life is coming unraveled. If my circumstances are not resolved then I feel like I am out of sync. Maybe it’ that control-freak in me, I don’t know. But one thing I do know is that it makes me turn to the Lord. If there’s no resolution then I go to Him and ask Him what’s up. Maybe I’m doing something wrong...or maybe not. It could be that it’s just a matter of time and I need to be (oh, what’s that hard word? Oh yeah…patient!).
Solomon said: To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven. (Eccl 3:1). He then went on to say: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; {3} A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; {4} A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; {5} A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; {6} A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; {7} A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; {8} A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. (Eccl 3:2-8)
If there is a time for everything in life, both good and bad, then I guess it has to all play out. I would like the good times to have no resolution but that isn’t realistic. That would be a vacuum-packed life with the perfect day becoming static and motionless. Would that be described as a happy hell? (figure that one out!!) But then I would like the bad times to resolve and roll over into the positive. And I know that will happen according to the promise of the Lord but I have to wait on Him and know He makes all things beautiful in its time.
So I guess I can do my best to problem-solve but when I can’t go any further I can just give it all to the Lord and go on with things not to my liking and be happy anyway. God is working out a plan and I can live with the tension of (unresolution?). (I just made up a word but don’t use it in Scrabble!) What a great place to be in life. Are you up to it?
If your solution is up, up and away in a not so beautiful balloon then you can expect the Lord to eventually make things end on a good note. Until then…enjoy the music!
Louie
(Eccl 3:11) He has made everything beautiful in its time…
I don’t mind problems. As long as you can solve them! But what do you do when you can’t? If you’re like me at those times I’m tempted toward frustration and anxiety. When I see no end in sight it produces fright. And I can’t say good night because things are tight and I don’t feel right. (Forgive the “pastor’s rap” but that’s how it came out! Is that alright?) When things are up in the air I want resolution!
Well let’s keep on the musical track and use that word resolution. Resolution in western tonal music theory is the move of a note or chord from dissonance (an unstable sound) to a consonance (a more final or stable sounding one). You know that feeling when you listen to music where everything builds up? You expect after that point for things to settle down and resolve to a nice finish. It leaves you with a calm feeling after things were up there in the air and looking for a soft landing.
I don’t mind a little drama in life. But when it’s at my ongoing expense I feel like my dream has turned into a nightmare. I look for solutions but just find pollution (okay, I’ll settle down). Living life with strings unattached makes me feel like my life is coming unraveled. If my circumstances are not resolved then I feel like I am out of sync. Maybe it’ that control-freak in me, I don’t know. But one thing I do know is that it makes me turn to the Lord. If there’s no resolution then I go to Him and ask Him what’s up. Maybe I’m doing something wrong...or maybe not. It could be that it’s just a matter of time and I need to be (oh, what’s that hard word? Oh yeah…patient!).
Solomon said: To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven. (Eccl 3:1). He then went on to say: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; {3} A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; {4} A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; {5} A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; {6} A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; {7} A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; {8} A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. (Eccl 3:2-8)
If there is a time for everything in life, both good and bad, then I guess it has to all play out. I would like the good times to have no resolution but that isn’t realistic. That would be a vacuum-packed life with the perfect day becoming static and motionless. Would that be described as a happy hell? (figure that one out!!) But then I would like the bad times to resolve and roll over into the positive. And I know that will happen according to the promise of the Lord but I have to wait on Him and know He makes all things beautiful in its time.
So I guess I can do my best to problem-solve but when I can’t go any further I can just give it all to the Lord and go on with things not to my liking and be happy anyway. God is working out a plan and I can live with the tension of (unresolution?). (I just made up a word but don’t use it in Scrabble!) What a great place to be in life. Are you up to it?
If your solution is up, up and away in a not so beautiful balloon then you can expect the Lord to eventually make things end on a good note. Until then…enjoy the music!
Louie
No comments:
Post a Comment