What a pleasure to have devotional thoughts from Rebekah Hawk this week! If you’d like to learn more about her, take a moment and stop by our contributors page.
Romans 15:5-6 “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I feel compelled to confess to you all, on this most auspicious of holidays, that I am a singer with very little musical understanding. However, I am doing my best to learn all the musical things so I can be more of an asset to the worship team instead of its weakest (loudest) link.
One part of music I’ve really been diving into is harmony, so imagine my delight when this word turns up in my study of Romans. Even more intriguing (and convicting—oof) is how my study of Romans 15 coincided with the chapter on Mercy from Parenting, a book we’ve been studying in my small group.
Harmony occurs when two complimentary notes are played together. I cannot read music, so I typically only sing what I hear; therefore, it does not come naturally for me to harmonize! Living with others in harmony does not come naturally, either, but God has called us to harmonize and to glorify Him with one voice!
If living with others in harmony “in accord with Christ Jesus” is extending mercy and grace in every interaction, how can I make sure I am harmonizing with my children?
Well, first, harmonizing with the melody requires intense listening skills. Our music pastor taught us that different chords we sing have complimentary chords, both higher and lower. He had us sing/listen to them in rounds, and now, I can start to pick them out of songs when I am just singing with my kids in the van. The point is, I can harmonize with the melody only if I am listening very intently.
I think listening and paying keen attention to others is essential for living with them in harmony. When I stop railroading my children with my agenda, my to-do list, or my frustration at their sin, and really listen to what God is revealing to me about their hearts, I can finally start to get us on the same sheet of music. Sadly, I usually want to blast my melody first, and once I’ve calmed down, I’ll entertain their chords. But in asking questions, and “refusing to indulge your irritation and your anger” as Paul Tripp writes, I can pull us all into the possibility of harmonizing.
Second, it takes practice and willingness to fail to learn harmony. When you’re trying to harmonize, you’re inevitably going to sing a wrong note (many, if you are me!). But, if you want to gain the skill, you keep trying. And harmonizing with my children is no different: it goes completely against my nature to be gentle and kind in my discipline, and I often fail miserably.
This Christmas, I am so glad that the God of encouragement and endurance came down—Emmanuel—God with us. He is gently merciful to me so I can then be merciful to my children. He encourages me to rest in Him, leaving the resolution of the chords up to Him, and when harmony happens, He gets all the glory.
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