We are plagued by the choices we are blessed with.
The World Race is a unique symphony. Disciples are gathered and trained. They bond and serve, united in the most intimate and ineffable of ways. But like the run of a Broadway show or the performance of an orchestra, the assembly is a season with an inevitable end.
And as the end draws near, the process of mourning and moving on begins. The harsh truth is this: the symphony won’t be gathered exactly this way ever again. The set list has eleven pieces and they have been played with imperfect beauty. A grand display. But when it ends, it ends.
Many will go on to play with other orchestras in greater venues than this. For some, this will always be the great concert of their lives. But this much is true: the end of the symphony is not the end of the musician. We have played together and are the better for it. And the individual instrument belongs to each of us. We decide whether or not to put it away in the closet after the concert ends or to continue to play, telling story of the harmony of a year long symphony that encompassed the world and transformed our souls.
In a concert, each piece builds on the momentum of the one before it. The energy of the previous leads to the power of the present. It is like a totem pole or a love story. The more we have played together, the more we have learned from one another. We’ve learned to tune our instrument, the value of its sound, and its place in the orchestra. We have learned of each other and the sweet sounds coming from the instruments around us. Just as sweet as our own. Just as necessary. And as the concert has been building piece by piece, new revelations have overwhelmed us every step of the way, stretching the boundaries of possibility, expanding the awareness of capability both as individual and corporate musicians.
As each month has melted into another, we have fallen deeper and deeper into love. You will never look at a map the same again. You will never hear the word ‘race’ without smiling. Music is a lot like love – a good stretch of it transforms the soul. And you have played well. You’ve played very well. The difference between appreciating music and participating in is the difference between consumer and disciple.
The concert has to end, but it sure as Heaven isn’t over yet! What will be the grand finale? What has this concert been working up to? Where will the energy of this symphony crescendo?
The choice is before you. How will the last piece of the concert play out? Will you fight to save a symphony that really must end? Will you peter out, giving up early because of the unavoidable finality – trying to get a head-start on the pain? Or will you look around you, soak in every minute, breathe the deep peace of contentment, and play this last piece as if it means something? As if it means everything? Will you honor the concert by seeing it through to the end – by blowing your mouth piece, waving your bow, and plucking your strings with all the passion this symphony has stirred in you?
No one can ever take this concert away from you. You are a better musician for having participated here. It isn’t the only concert you will ever play, but it is a special one.
The glorious truth is that your life continues to crescendo after this concert ends. You have developed an identity in this run. Life continues after this and it is a wonderful life. Sometimes we need a special concert to remind us of the musician within. This is the gift that has been given to you. Don’t forget it. And do it justice by playing it out, as only this symphony can do.
