When I Get to Heaven

I feel certain when I get to heaven I will sing like a bird! Meanwhile here on earth I engage in worship as opportunities present themselves convincing myself that somehow the Lord makes my voice sound like an angel as I belt out the lyrics.

There's something about music that moves me to rethink my day, my circumstances and even my beliefs. So when Edgar, our Wednesday Jam guru leader, left his guitar at the store, it opened up a whole new dynamic with customers once they caught sight of the stage and the guitars in the back of the building.

It's easy to tell the ones with music in their blood. They see the instruments from the entrance and once their order is placed they can't help but make their way to the stage. Some shy ask permission but bolder ones, once ordered, go directly to the guitars and pick it up. Rarely do any of these individuals look for any attention but rather a quiet spot to strike a chord that somehow resonates with their spirit to bring comfort or inspiration to them.

I caught Cody this past week. It wasn't his first time but the first time I caught him on video. It was a rain day for the tree cutter so he came in for breakfast and while waiting for his to go order, unsurprising to me, Cody found his way to the guitar. It's not loud, or "look at me" but it's Cody, the guitar, and some time...time to to make sense of life, time to explore, time to reflect and just be.

At first I was disappointed that as I recorded it WASN'T LOUDER so the video would come out well. But the longer between the time of actually writing this piece and the time Cody played, I've had time to reflect to see LIFE IS SO MUCH MORE THAN PERFORMANCE. The real treat was the opportunity to watch Cody check out of the store momentarily and into the world of the guitar and man....just the two of them.

Recently I heard a speaker say when addressing a crowd regarding starting something new, "you can't force it. All you can do is create an inviting environment where something beautiful can happen." I've been marinating on that statement ever since. I can't say it was a well thought out plan to create an inviting environment but by doing the next thing and leaning into the Spirit of God it happened. And I've been experiencing something beautiful for the past five years when the store opened.

How are you experiencing the beauty in your life? Slow down and look. It's there.