A Symphony of Sounds

What sounds surround you as you read these words? Stop for a moment and listen. Are they peaceful, harsh, solitary, layered? At this exact moment, I hear a dog barking in the distance, the hum of a lawnmower next door, and the comforting whir of my refrigerator. I’m thankful for the gift of hearing the symphony of sounds around me.

One of my favorite sounds is the call of sea gulls. No, I don’t mean thirty squawking gulls descending at the beach when someone pulls out crackers. I’m talking about the serene call of one or two soaring overhead. I immediately relax and imagine myself sitting in the warm sand before a calm ocean. I spent time at the beach as a child, visiting my grandparents’ home-away-from-home at a South Carolina beach. A screened porch ran the length of the “Elfin,” the name of their little retreat. I loved nothing more than rocking in the creaky porch chairs and listening to the songs of the seaside. Time at the beach is still one of my favorite ways to spend a day. Those sounds calm my soul.

Words are also part of the symphony of sounds around us. 1 Corinthians 13:1 declares “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (NASB) Yikes! Noisy gongs and clanging cymbals are not what I want people to think of when they hear me. If my words are harsh or my tone unkind, I’m right in the middle of the percussion section. I’ve decided I need to include my own voice in the sounds to which I listen. I pray I’ll tune my words and tone to add a song of harmony in the symphony around me.

Now it’s your turn! What are your favorite sounds?