Before getting to the topic at hand, I did want to mention that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was honored to not only sing at President Monson's funeral on Friday, but to sing President Monson's favorite songs, as well. As there was a lot of coverage of this special event (click HERE and HERE for some good articles), I won't go into too many details myself. Suffice it to say, I was grateful for the opportunity to help honor such a wonderful man who did so much, for so many.
Also, today's Music & the Spoken Word broadcast was titled "The Light and Love of Freedom", honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. and others like him, who emphasized the importance of accepting all people and treasuring the values of love and human rights. I'm grateful to belong to an organization and a church that believes we're all God's children and believes in the importance of loving everyone.
So. . .
I was talking with a friend the other day, who also happens to be a member of the Choir, and the conversation turned to a particular mindset that's been tempting to adopt after being in the Choir during the past four years.
Averaging about 12-15 hrs/week (when you factor in rehearsals, concerts, touring, personal memorizing time, and other events), being a member of the Choir is very time consuming. It rivals a few other time-consuming callings within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though it differs in what most other callings entail. We don't have meetings, we don't prepare lessons, we don't sit in councils or engage in any sort of traditional teaching. We also don't have the responsibility to minister or administer to specific people, which includes not being included in any sort of accountability reports (aside from general attendance reports) or getting much by way of feedback from those we perform to (though we do get some from time to time).
What we do, do, is sing. This involves working hard to learn the music, trying to become better singers, relying on the fellow singers around you for strength and note cues, throwing out personal cares and worries so we can truly focus, listening intently to our conductor, giving up personal family time (sometimes for weeks at a time during tour), fighting against complacency, and mustering excitement and fresh vigor when singing songs we've sung countless times before (or occasionally singing songs we may not personally like too much).
But through all of this hard work and dedication (and what I say next are my personal thoughts--they may, or may not be, shared or experienced by other Choir members), it becomes very tempting to think of Choir as the only "religion" we need. After all, amidst all of the hours spent, we sing beautiful songs that create outward and inward spiritual experiences. The music and the lyrics settle on our hearts and we sometimes say to ourselves "You know what? I've had a fantastic week with the Choir, we've sang songs that have uplifted and inspired, we've put in the hard work, and I just want to go home and be with my family. Can't choir "count" as my spiritual edification on Sundays? Isn't it enough? I mean, honestly, the thought of going to three more hours of church seems overwhelming."
So we play this back and forth justification game as though we're somehow entitled to lay aside what our Church leaders have counseled, and perhaps trade it for some other activity--like a long Sunday afternoon nap!
Yes, it's easy to fall into this temptation--particularly every other year when my ward meets at 9am and it's impossible to make it because of Choir responsibilities (which necessitates me going to a different ward). And the next year, when my ward meets at 1, and I finally CAN go, it's easy to feel like I'm not even part of that congregational family anyway because you're gone half the time.
And you know, slowly, it really starts to affect my personal spirituality--in ways that are hard to describe.
So, it might have taken me four years, but I'm come to deflect these "choir-is-the-only-spiritual-thing-I-need" temptations and realize how much I've missed my ward. I've missed the good people (even though I don't know some of them because they moved in last year), the lessons (even though I sometimes fall asleep in them), or the sincere handshakes and hugs of fellowship. I've missed sitting with my family and taking the Sacrament with them. And I've missed talking about the Gospel with others and seeing how principles within the Gospel have helped them overcome, be better, find peace, and endure. Do I still have days where I just want to skip Church, call it good, and take a nap? Absolutely! But overall, I'm grateful that my desire to be part of my ward family has been restored. I'm always grateful for my Choir family. They are an integral part of my life and the experiences we have together are one aspect of my spirituality. But they aren't the only part.
Nor should they be.
Until next time, God be with you.
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