I recently returned from a vacation to Jamaica which was absolutely wonderful. It did, however, cause me to miss two Thursday night rehearsals, plus a Sunday performance/rehearsal. As such, I was again in "observing mode" today. Thankfully, my friend Ryan was also in observing mode so we observed together--enjoying five great pieces that the choir performed for Music & the Spoken Word. My favorite of the bunch was Standing on the Promises. That song never gets old and never disappoints. There's so much of life that takes a toll on your faith and distracts you from what's most important. And this song always reminds me that things will be OK (actually, more than OK) if we stand on the promises that God has given us. And by standing, I mean living each day relying on those promises to be delivered as we strive to follow Christ.
As I was contemplating what to write about today, my wife gave me a good idea--so I'm going to go with it. :) During the past six years I've been in the choir, my wife and I will find ourselves at family events or going out with friends. And inevitably, the topic of conversation will either start with, or gravitate to, the Tabernacle Choir. The questions might be directed to me ("Ryan, so how's the choir going?") or when my wife is without me, she'll get the questions ("So how is Ryan enjoying the choir?"). When I get the questions, my good wife patiently smiles and listens--sometimes contributing experiences or insights. And when she gets the questions, she is obviously nice and answers those questions the best she can.
I am, of course, grateful for the interest people have about the choir and I recognize it's an easy and obvious topic to ask about. Their sincere desire to learn more is something I appreciate. However, I often feel bad that my wife repeatedly gets the short end of the stick. How I've wished that at least some of the time, people would come up to us and ask how she's doing. Or, at the very least, ask "So Jenn, how is it supporting Ryan in the choir? What are some of the highs and the lows you've been through?"
Like I said, people mean well and neither my wife nor I hold any sort of grudge towards anyone asking about the choir. It just illustrates an important principle that we all need to be aware of more often: sometimes it's the other person who could use the attention.
So, next time you're in a situation where you have the opportunity to talk to the less-noticed person--the one who may not, for example, be singing with a world-renowned choir that travels the the globe and sings to millions each week--take it! I guarantee that the person will be very grateful. And then, afterwards, when the conversation is needing a new direction, the obvious topic at hand is always one you can turn to.
Until next time, God be with you.
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