Nestled in the Woods

Music

First of series:  Cadence and rhyme essential to retaining message of hymn

What is it about a hymn that makes one more memorable than another that is no less profound?  Take for instance Amazing Grace, the most popular hymn of the last two centuries.  Of course the theme and the words have wonderful meaning that go to the heart of all who know it, but it isn’t the words themselves that strike a chord in us, nor is it the theology we eventually learn from it that helps us retain the song.  It is, rather, the cadence of the poem.  Many tunes have been written for Amazing Grace, but the tune in most hymnals expresses the cadence of the words very well. That is what we remember.  It is the simple cadence of the poetic form used that causes us to recall the words.  Amazing Grace is written in “common meter”: four lines; line one and three are eight syllables; line two and four have six syllables; the accent is on every second syllable throughout the poem.  The fact that Newton used this cadence in his poem is what makes the message memorable.

Poetry that we learned as children had such a cadence, and we can still recite these rhymes easily…without thought.  Other poetry, most written in modern times, is less memorable for the simple reason that it is free form.  It is more difficult form to learn the non-rhythmic lines.

And what is my point?

Contemporary music is often written in free form.  The only parts that stick in our minds are the repetitive phrases.  The music must be written to accommodate the poetry rather than the cadence.  Many thought provoking hymns are being written today, but they are both difficult to memorize and we miss the theology.

Of course in the older hymnody there is the rhyme aspect that aids the memory.  Again in Amazing Grace we hear the rhyming words at the end of the first and third lines and the second and fourth.  That pattern is called “a-b-a-b”: “sound” rhymes with “found”; “me” rhymes with “see”.  This is the simplest form of rhyme.  Although free form poetry may employ rhyme, it doesn’t do so in any particular pattern.  The serious student of poetry will find this as they dissect the poem.  To sing in free form is ludicrous, because we spend our time trying to figure out the tune and a great portion of the words get lost in the exercise.  Admittedly, there are some newer hymns that have taken hold of our congregations, but what they have in common is one or two phrases that stand out and are, therefore, memorable.  It takes a musical genius to write a good tune to a free form poem.  It will be the melodic line rather than the cadence that makes it memorable.  We learn the tune rather than the words.

Since the words are the most important, it is of equal importance to construct the words in a manner that the singer will retain the thought set in the words.

When I see a church bulletin listing a group of hymns under the heading of “Worship Time”, I cringe.  The entire service is worship…or should be.  Indeed, the purpose of hymnody is to worship God, but there is much more to worship than a pep rally. 

Another aspect of hymn singing is harmony.  That is a subject all of its own, and I will address that issue at another time.  Look for more next week…

WEARY IN WELL DOING
Do we get weary in the process of life?  Is weariness wrong?  Is there ever a stopping point?  “Where is that verse, ‘let us not be weary in well doing’?  Do we continue to do good even when we fear that others would take advantage of us?  “I’m getting weary, but I want to do the right thing.”

The verse referenced is Galatians 6:9. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (KJV)  The subject is more complex than weariness in well doing, and the larger context is necessary to understand the implications.

I used to think that this “well doing” meant that Christians are to concentrate of living a righteous life and not giving up.  If taken as a statement alone, such a suggestion might be legitimate…especially if Christianity is all about me being “saved”, me living right…just Jesus and me, and so I can be more spiritual. Obviously, we are to live right, but living right includes compassion…always.

The entire passage (Galatians 6: 1-10 read it) gives a broader and more correct view of well doing.

All people, including Christians, get caught…entangled in situations that place them under a burden.  It’s part of our fallen world.  When we see that, it is our responsibility to “restore” them in the best way we can.  We must remember that we, too, live in a fallen world and are not immune to entanglements.  Confront them with the truth, urge them to confess and repent of their own wrong doing, and then lift them up.  We are to…Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  The law of Christ is found in John 15: 12. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  How did Jesus love us?  What burden did He carry?  Not just the cross, but our sins.  We could not carry them ourselves.  We can try to live right, obey the commands, and even believe, but that is not the point and it will not justify us in God’s sight.  The point is that Jesus died in our place for the egregious sins in our life…and one sin in a lifetime is egregious to a Holy God. 

If Christ so loved us that He bore that burden and freed us forever, we are to be Christ-like and bear the burdens that cause others to struggle.  We cannot look at a situation and say, “That person is unworthy of my help”, or “it’s not my responsibility”.  That is pride.  We must not get in the way of God’s leading with that pride.  What motives do we have for what we think, say, or do?  Does false pride or a matter of “keeping up with the Jones” influence our actions?

The Apostle Paul confuses the situation by throwing in this statement: …each one should carry his own load.  There is no contradiction here.  The above burden is one that an individual cannot bear alone.  We walk along side and carry it together.  Our own load, however, is a matter of accepting God’s providence in our lives without comparing ourselves with a lighter load that someone else may have to bear.  Do I have too much on my plate to care about someone else?  Am I ready to walk away?  Do I see my load as too overwhelming to share a burden with another?

The Apostle gives a good example of bearing another’s burden: Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Those who provide spiritual care many times have material burdens.  We receive their instruction; therefore, we make certain they can live to instruct. 

The next passage gets to the heart of our original question:  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.(Galatians 6: 7-10)
Yes, we do get weary in the process of life.  Weariness, in itself, is not wrong.  The good news is that He will not present us with opportunities that we can’t bear. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (I Corinthians 10: 13)  When the opportunity comes to serve, He will give us the ability to do what He asks.  If we neglect the opportunity He gives us we deny Him, and we have yielded to temptation.  To be caught up in prideful control, greed, or seeking our own pleasures, is to lose sight of the needs of others.  We sow; we reap.    If we neglect the needs of other we will end up on the short end of the stick. 

Therefore…

Don’t be weary in well doing…do good; seize the opportunity to do good to all people.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  (Proverbs 3: 27)  Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so.

Is there ever a stopping point?  What if the one under the burden seems to want more and more?  The leech has two daughters—Give and Give! (Proverbs 30: 15) We do need to discern real needs in contrast to felt needs, hopes, and dreams.  America has a complete social structure of leech’s daughters…3rd and 4th generation welfare.  Welfare perpetuates welfare.

Discernment is the key word, but it is also the most difficult part of the picture.  We love others and want to carry their burdens, yet how do we know how much burden to carry?  Pray for guidance; base decision making on the Ten Commandments; live Jesus’ “Law of Love”.

There is that time of morning
Between confusing dream and conscious thought,
Before the darkness dissipates—is conquered by the sun,
Before some thought of warning
Or trouble creeps back in my mind of naught
But yesterday’s unwise mistakes and duties left undone.

I waken with a hoping—
A clean page willing to be written full
Of joys and new accomplishing that I’ve not done before—
Desire for a coping—
A rise above an errant, worldly pull,
And write that leaf where faith grows wings that take their flight and soar.

In my strength I’d be failing
In each endeavor for a perfect flight.
Those wings would droop and plummet me to depths below the ground.
In God’s care I’ll keep sailing
And reach beyond a fore-accomplished height,
For in His arms I’ve ridden free and lofty summits found.

Here’s an interesting poser: “The average person lies three times per ten minutes of conversation.”  This is a quote from a book by Paul Ekman, “Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage”.  I haven’t read the book, but I may buy it (Is that a lie?).

On the surface, I have a difficult time swallowing the idea.  On the other hand, he must have some legitimate grounds for the statement, because Fox Network is launching a new show based on the premise.  The question to me remains, do I tell three lies in every ten minutes of my conversation?

I don’t have too many conversations in a day since I live “nestled in the woods”, as this website declares.  My husband and I may engage a total of ten minutes a piece per day in conversation.  We are quiet people. Does that mean we tell six lies a day?  I don’t think so. 

Might we exaggerate?  Do we inadvertently say things that we believe to be true but are not?  Do we withhold words, concealing the entire truth, in hopes of sparing feelings?  Does saving face color the truth?  Do we forget the details? Are these lies?
 
Some people claim that works of fiction should be classified as lies.  Since I am a writer of fiction and my first novel is on the market, I would then be a first class liar.  I disagree, of course.  In writing my stories I am illustrating a main point and several side issues that address what I see as a human need.  Such fictional work is meant to be a parable of sorts.

I recall my childhood fantasies and the glorious stories I told.  I had an imaginary friend named John.  The family was overly concerned, in my estimation, that John was more real to me than they were.  When I was about four years old, tired of the teasing, I quit John.  Mother asked what happened to John.  I replied, “John died and the buzzards took him to heaven.”  Being a much younger sibling of three and alone much of the time in our country home, I couldn’t live without John.  He returned.  Now the question came, “How come John’s back?”  My answer: “He was too naughty for heaven, so the buzzards brought him back.”

Lies?  Not necessarily.  John was a product of my working through the process of growing up in an isolated environment and set the stage for my current endeavors in writing.  (Perhaps I will dedicate my next novel to John.)

Technically exaggeration, withholding facts, and misrepresenting facts are lies.  I agree.  Are these wrong?  Not always.  If it is a matter of “bearing false witness”…an untrue statement forged to bring prejudice or injury against another or to bring favor to myself, indeed it is a violation of the ninth Command.  The subject is complex, especially when it is a matter of sparing emotional pain or has no bearing on the conversation at hand.  Exaggeration to express a point is not wrong.  There is actually a field within writing called “creative non-fiction” that uses exaggeration to tell a story.

Do I average three lies in every ten minute conversation?  I hope not.  My desire is to be honest, truthful, and a woman of integrity.  I want to reflect Jesus, who never lied and who, incidentally, was a master of the parable.

I do take the premise seriously in that I plan to be more circumspect in what I say.  My mother’s admonition follows me: “Think before you speak.”

Now that “All Things” has been published, I have begun a new book.  Tentatively, the title is “Soar Above the Yesterdays”, taken from the poem below.

Forget the past.
Oh, I don’t mean to kill those pleasant memories;
But rather yield those things that haunt the mind~~
    Pain and disappointing days;
    And even lock away the little victories.

Forget those things;
And with forgetting press on toward the final prize,
Where each event points to the finish line~~
    Soar above the yesterdays,
    And seek those things that reach beyond these cloudy skies.

Philippians 3:13-14…Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

I have always considered myself to be a conservative.  I have been conservative in my life style, my politics, and my religion.  More recently, however, I am questioning: Exactly what is the meaning of the word “conservative”? Synonyms for conservative suggest anything from old-fashioned to cautious.  Holding to traditions; sticking with conventions; conforming to the status-quo; lacking a sense of adventure; moderate in life style; careful or cautious of change: these describe the conservative individual.  I would venture to say that my ideology and practice would fall into at least some of those descriptions.   No where in these synonyms do I see hatred; yet, in today’s society the earmark of the so-called conservative is just that.  “Conservative” political leaders vent their frustrated quest for power by name-calling, innuendo, and even lie to promote their favorite candidate.  I might suggest that this is not peculiar to politics, but it is seen in the Church, in our schools, on the job, and behind the doors of our homes.  I ask: What is true conservatism?  If the hate-mongers are not true conservatives, what are they?  Am I really a conservative?
The word “conservative” comes from the word “conserve”, with the Latin root conservare, to keep or preserve.  It means, according to Webster, “to keep in a safe or sound state; to save; to preserve from loss, decay, waste or injury; to defend from violation—as to conserve the peace of society.”  (Is peace the operative word here?)  A conservative person, then, is one who tends to preserve traditions and institutions, resisting untried innovations and cultural or social change.  Often we hear the combined term “right-wing conservative”.  This is so-called because in the European tradition conservative politicians were seated on the right, while liberals were seated on the left of the governing chambers. True conservatism is, then, a belief that the government, religion, and yes, life is based upon what has worked in the traditions of the past to preserve the unity among the people.  Does that mean that when an innovation is suggested that it is rejected on the basis that it has never been done; therefore, it never shall be done?  I don’t think so.  In a family there are certain norms that keep the household in efficient operation.  There are expectations, rules, and attitudes, the infraction of which results in chaos.  The same can be said for the home, the Church, the workplace, the educational system, and the government.  At the same time, events, discoveries, outside influences, and learning may suggest change.  Those changes must be studied and run through a grid of basic beliefs, natural laws, and proprieties.  There must be an established norm by which to measure innovation and change.  The true conservative does this without destroying others who suggest change.
Destroying the reputation of others may be the natural result of hatred, unresolved personal conflict, and frustrated aspirations.  Looking to the opposite of these feelings we see the desired love, peace, and joy of a life that is molded by belief, and matured by thoughtfulness, and expressed in an outward look.  The true conservative takes life as it comes and faces it with maturity; and although he judges it by his beliefs, he considers change without demeaning his fellow man.  On the other hand, hatred toward others in the name of conservatism is merely a fraudulent pose—a parasitic drain on the true cause of conservatism—conserving the peace of society.  Hatred clings to a dying or faulty tradition, kicking and screaming like a toddler who refuses to have his blanket washed. Those who promote their issue with hatred and rude behavior are not true conservatives;
but rather, they are self-seeking, hard-shelled idolaters.
Am I a conservative?  Yes, if being so seeks to better the world I live in.  Yes, if I can assess circumstances, events, ideas through the grid of what I believe to be true.  I am not the so-called conservative who angrily accuses others in order to promote his particular brand of politics, religion, or life-style.  You may call me what you wish.  I like tradition; I like old-fashioned ways (I even wear a hat to church some times!); I’m not very adventurous.  But I am not opposed to exploration, inconvenience, discovery, looking at things outside the box, or stepping beyond my front door.   That doesn’t make me a liberal either.  So…call me what you wish.