Singing "The Rhythm of Life"

When I was in college I sang and traveled with an amazing group of talented people in what was known as a "concert" choir. Singing mostly classical works ranging from four to eight parts, I never stopped to truly think about how many pieces we sang or how many words (both in English and various other languages) we memorized. Nor did I ever stop to think about the unity of sound - even with so many different parts. I'm ashamed to say that I took all of that for granted back then. I did not value the countless hours of rehearsals nor did I truly value the man who stood before us with his signature hand towel to wipe his drenched brow as he drilled us over and over again until every note was precise and symphonic sound was achieved.

One year we sang a song called "The Rhythm of Life" which had the fastest lyrics that I can ever remember singing. The chorus then led into nonsense syllables and finally returned to the main theme: the rhythm of life. This was, afterall, what the composer sought to simulate in the song. And yet there was a point to the chorus: "The rhythm of life is a powerful beat. It puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet. There's rhythm on the inside; there's rhythm on the street. And the rhythm of life is a powerful beat."

When I think about the "rhythms of life" around me, my mind immediately goes to the particular beauty that autumn brings, and if I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times: the colors THIS year have been breathtaking! The golds beckon me with royal authority to watch their every move as the wind produces hundreds of hues to excite my emotions. The oranges are ablaze with penetrating intensity that challenge the volition of my will to look away. And the deep reds penetrate my very soul. On more than one occasion, I've just had to LOUDLY reply to the beauty of the whole scene unfolding before my very eyes. Then I've felt a twinge of sadness. I've wondered just how many "other" very beautiful falls have simply come and gone without even a response from me. How many others have passed me by simply because I did not take the time to engage?

Sadder than this, however, is a larger possibility. If I have allowed such an awesome display of the "rhythm" of life such as the magnificent changing of colors to parade ALL around me without as much as a sigh, is it possible that something much greater has also eluded my attention? Have I failed to recognize the beauty of interaction not with leaves, but with life itself? Am I fully alive or merely existing. Am I constantly an active participant in life or merely a consumer? Am I engaged in a journey with a destination or am I on auto-pilot watching the world pass by me? Is there a point to life and what can I learn from the changing seasons? (And what does any of this nostalgia have to do with engaging grace anyway?)

Looking back over my life, I can categorize a number of years as just a blurb - especially the first three years after I became a mother - twice. As with all young mothers, there were many sleep-deprived days when I was on auto-pilot in a perpetual nursing/changing/rocking rhythm that continued from sun up to sundown. Those were the days when showers were the luxurious five minute respites from the reality of knowing that other human lives were depending on me to care for their needs. The focus of life became the care - not the caretaker. But children do grow up and (hopefully) learn to care for themselves.

Yet what is the "rhythm" of life that continues to pulsate as it relates to engaging grace. What are the second and third ingredients necessary to achieve engaging grace if life is the greatest gift: the ability to give birth to life is the second greatest; and the opportunity to share life with others is the third? What follows Love to lead the Way to engaging Grace?

If love truly is the first necessary ingredient for engaging grace, what are the second and third? The second ingredient is awareness and the third is appreciation. Engaging grace, then, begins with love, is colored by awareness and sings with appreciation. These ingredients produce a "rhythm of life" that truly leads to engaging grace!