It’s the rehearsal before dress rehearsal for the Christmas
Concert, and the concert master stands to tune the symphony. She nods to the
oboist who plays that long A—woodwinds, brass,
and strings follow.
For me, it’s then, even before the conductor lifts his baton,
that all those long October and November Sunday afternoon practices are worth
it. Just to get to that point where we leave the chorus sectional rehearsals
behind and join the symphony makes me glad I made the time to show up when
there were so many other things pulling at me.
Perseverance can be challenging when the objective seems
distant, but oh, how glad we are when we finally arrive at our goal.
In a much greater way, it’s important to remember the
instruction Paul wrote to the Hebrews, “. . . let us throw off everything that
hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus . . . “ And also Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “’What
no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’”—the things God has prepared for those who love him—" (1
Corinthians 2:9-10).
When we arrive at our final destination,
it’s going to be worth it. No matter what’s happening right now, those
sufferings are “not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
A song we sometimes sing at our church
includes this chorus, “When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that
will be. When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.”
Arriving in heaven will be an occasion we
have spent a lifetime preparing for, and when that heavenly symphony begins to
play there will be some raucous carrying on—at least on my part.
Hope to see you there!!