Eyes on the Conductor

The powerful sound that vibrates around the room when the arms of the conductor accents the down beat for the full orchestra’s entrance has an effect on its listeners that no other experience can imitate. The clash of the cymbals, the flutters of the flutes, the fanfare of the trumpets, the majestic resonance of the French horns, the swimming harmonies of the strings all work together to create a moment of beauty and splendor that sparks a vision that only music can instill.

Words cannot express the honor and joy it is to create music!

When I think of music, I feel it molding into different shapes and colors all around me. It’s an unseen mystery that fills its listeners with joy, excitement, and delight that nothing in this world can recreate.
Personally, everyday I experience music in a different way. Today, I can honestly say I see music in a different light than I’ve ever seen before. It started off in orchestra rehearsal. As I was sitting in the viola section looking around before rehearsal started, I saw people all around me of different races, shapes, and personalities. They each pulled out their instruments and situated themselves in their sections.
When the conductor gave the signal for rehearsal to begin, all the musicians quieted their instruments and focused their eyes on the podium. After tuning, the art of music making began.
The conductor raised her baton and then released the first downbeat of the music. Like rays of the sun that cut through the morning dawn, her baton split the silence in the air as the orchestra gave birth to beauty. As they all moved along together in this unique experience of creating art in the atmosphere, the eyes of the musicians were constantly focusing on to the conductor to ensure that they were producing the sound the conductor was asking for in their way of expressing. When the conductor lifted her arms high, swaying them in a large pattern, the ensemble immediately grew in sound and matched the desired articulation that she expressed. Whenever the expression in her face would change, our playing would imitate it. Without using words, the conductor can communicate to the musicians on a personal level and to the ensemble as a whole. This fascinates me in such a way that I cannot express.

My perspective is that life itself *is* the symphony. I see myself as the instrument channeling music throughout this lifetime. And of course, the One who has orchestrated my score and conducts my every beat, my every dynamic, and my every note is none other than the Perfect Musician who Himself gifted us with the art of Music. Whenever He says “Stay quiet at this moment,” I follow His lead. Whenever He expresses to me to grow, I follow His direction. Whenever His tempo says to go faster, I keep focused to follow His timing.
We all have a part to play in this symphony. We all have a written score to perform. And we all have the same Conductor to follow. Life is a symphony that has already been orchestrated for you.

Just remember to keep your eyes on the Conductor.


"Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; 
Praise Him with the lute and harp! 
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; 
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals; 
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!"
- Psalm 150:3-6

Glory in Tribulations!!

We all have them. We all experience them. Some worst than others. I'm talking about those "bad" days. A positive person always looks at the good things in life, regardless of the dozens of bad things that may go wrong in one day. And as we know, a pessimistic person only focuses on the bad things going on in their lives. They complain and go through life with heavy, ungrateful hearts. The perspective on how we want to view our lives is entirely up to us. Let me share with you my view on my worst days. These past 3 days for me have been rough and I mean rough, but through it all I've been praising God because though my situation may change, He remains faithful and good!!
So let me just paint for you a picture to describe how these past 3 days have been. I've slipped and fallen down a staircase in the rain, bruised my foot, got charged a late fee for classes, walked in my classes late because of the difficulty of finding a parking spot on campus, broken the bridge of my violin, gotten pains in my body, have had issues receiving scholarship awards, and I've been running around trying to beat time with homework assignments and school work. I was in such a rush and out of focus the other day with trying to complete a homework assignment that I showed up an hour early to a class located at an elementary school thinking I was running late only to interrupt a class of 9 year olds. As I walked in confused asking for the college class, everyone's faces were puzzled and then I realized my class didn't start until another hour. The students then bursted out with laughs and I apologized for interrupting their class. As I walked back to my car, I couldn't help but laugh at myself because I had been running around hysterical in the library trying to finish my homework assignment on time when I really had an hour more to complete it.
In moments like this where you just wanna slap yourself in the forehead, I rejoice GREATLY because I know that though everything around me is going haywire, I still find peace and joy in the God I trust. Yesterday as I was driving home from school in the rain, I had a beautiful and comforting talk with my Creator. God reminded me that my strength is not my own's but it comes straight from Him. I kept meditating on His word, "the joy of the Lord is MY strength." As I kept repeating this verse, He reminded me that His joy is neverending and there is no expiration date on it! It keeps going and going and going. Though I may not feel like rejoicing because of my situation, His joy is still being offered, and it's up to me to receive it or live in my misery. And when I do receive it, the strength that comes along with it completely amazes me! It's strength that reminds me that I CAN do ALL things!! There is nothing too big for the strength of the Lord to overcome. So I rejoiced in my car on my way home knowing that through it all, the joy, peace and strength of God was always with me!
This scripture also keeps me going whenever I go through rough times. It's found in Romans 5:3-5 and it says,
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
If we were never to go through tribulations then how weak would our faith be?? I know that whenever I go through something difficult, whether it's the heartache of a family member, or difficulty in my personal life, I have no other choice but to turn to God for the comfort and guidance I need. And everytime I have called on Him with an open and honest heart, He has NEVER failed me. His response is never, "okay, I'm on my way" or "be there after I answer this person's prayer." No. His response is always, "I am here with you. I will never leave you or forsake you. We will make it through this in peace." I know that if I did not go through those moments in life where the only option is to cry out to God for help, then my faith would remain small. So, I am so grateful for the tribulations that drive me to depend on God for the solution because I go through them in peace and with victory on my side thanks to the goodness and faithfulness of God!


I hope to encourage you to change your perspective on life. Everyday that we live is a gift from God. Many people were not able to wake up this morning. Many people cannot walk on their own, or see the beauty of God's creation. We have sooo many things to be grateful for everyday! Let's not take for granted the things we enjoy everyday. Instead of complaining about the cost of school, be thankful that you live in a country that you are given the opportunity to study what you want and become a professional. Instead of complaining about how tired you are focus on all the opportunities around you to succeed in what you want to do. It's amazing how much you can change in your life when you change your attitude. So choose to be happy, choose to think positively, and in all things give thanks!

"A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones." -Psalm 17:22.