What type of instrument are you? Music soothes and calms us as notes travel from the instrument to our ears. We can create music with one instrument like the trumpet for example. When combined with multiple trumpets, the sound can be heart breaking as the trumpets salute to honor and lay a soldier to rest. We can play our own instruments as we sing, play guitar, piano, drums, etc., but when we combine all our instruments together we form a band to play melodies that comfort and lift us up.
The instruments we play come in all forms, and do not have to be an actual instrument. Our instruments we play (or gifts) come in many different packages. Some are wrapped in a pastor’s message to comfort us similar to how we bundle and wrap our new born baby in a soft snuggly blanket. Some come from passionate teachers, who care deeply for their students to guide/help them learn new things. Some come from an author’s book to help us with almost anything we are dealing with from divorce, blending families, loss of a loved one, addiction to drugs or alcohol, or any topic we struggle with as we travel down the road of life. At each and every stage of our lives, we are exposed to instruments if we listen for them. Do we use our gifted instruments to make a difference for others, and open our ears to hear other people’s instruments they play?
Peace is the instrument I believe I play. In my dynamic family of stubbornness, lack of forgiveness, attitudes, pride, and other not so pleasant characteristics, I always try to create peace in my family. Sometimes to the point of making myself miserable as I want everyone to get along. I have stopped striving to make peace with my actual voice. I have transitioned into being transparent in my writing and prayer to get my message out. I’ve always told people that I’m a terrible writer—in all my errors with comas and not always being correct in my writing, I have found it’s not about the perfection, but the message. I have been considering stopping my blog to post just ads, but then something inside of me tells me—Keep going! Sometimes the gifts we are given are disguised or wrapped in a package that we don’t want to open. I encourage you to open the gift, and share the gift with others… When we learn to play an instrument we start with one note, then a string of notes, onto a melody. When we combine to form a big band where we all play together, we make infinite music for our music maker to hear.
Peace Prayer of St. Francis…Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light, and where there is sadness, joy.