A week to think.....

I had a professor in college that said, "There are three things in this world that everyone should do if they choose to leave a legacy: have a son to carry your name, plant a tree to help the earth, and write a book to leave the world a view of your thoughts." There's a lot of truth to that. Having said that, I have come to the conclusion that I, in no way, am a philosopher. I'm not a great thinker. I'm not a great writer. I have a son and I have planted a tree or two - but a book? You have to be able to think full thoughts, write cleverly, and be somewhat grammatically correct. I am not any of these. So, I started pondering "thoughts."

The great minds of the ancient world - Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, among many others - thought of such great and intriguing things that perpetuated life changes for the people of their day and generations after and still influence a lot of people today, especially political thought. But, how can a mind work that way unless taught how to pursue a thought? What directed their thought patterns?

I am a musician - a guitarist and songwriter. So, my "book" is a song. But, I've noticed that when prompted by my own clever riffs or awe-inspiring phrases, I can only go so far with them. It is very difficult for me to bring about a full story based on an intersting choice of words or innovative guitar riff. Why is that?

I think it has a lot to do with a previous post - direction. What is directing the song? Which way am I trying to make this thing go? Am I allowing myself too much control over the flow? The answer is simple when compared to a song given to someone by the Holy Spirit. If you compare a song written by my hands, my thought, my skills versus a song given to me by the Holy Spirit there is a significant difference. When I get too inloved in creating something I get in my mind's eye - I will spend forever trying to make it make sense or rhyme or something - because I am a perfectionist. When I am prompted by the Holy Spirit simply to start writing - I am not worried about rhyme or reason to the song. There's already a reason for the song - God wants it heard.

Cut to a finished product.

Comparing the two finished products you will see two different styles: 1). a song that, technically may be sound, it might have a catchy melody and some cleverly-written lyrics that might be heard by twenty or so people over the course of a lifetime; 2). and then a song that is the song of God's heart - meant for the world. Regardless of the melodious tune or rhyming pattern, this song is a song fashioned in the likeness of God's - a song of praise, or adoration, or salvation, or sanctification, or redemption, or whatever - but, always a song from God!