Spiritual Thought

I made Jeff rush home last night from Las Vegas so that I could make it to my ward council meeting this morning. But somewhere between figuring out we wouldn't get home until 3:00am and my meeting starts at 7:00am I decided I should get a "sub" for my meeting. I know, doesn't seem like such a big deal to get a sub . . . but I had the spiritual thought for the meeting. Again, I realize . . "what's the big deal"? But I have been planning this spiritual thought since November! (Yes, I realize this makes me a big geek --I've also been planning a Mother's Day talk for years too) So as I rode home last night bemoaning the fact that no one would hear my lovely spiritual thought, I decided that I would feel better if I shared it with YOU! So welcome to my ward council spiritual thought:

I love to sing to country music! When I'm in my car running errands, going on trips - I love to sing along to country music. But last year, this favorite thing to do became a problem. Whenever I was in the car singing, Melanie would be there singing along too. But she wasn't singing the same thing I was. Melanie was singing pretty much the same words I was, but the tune of the song was NOT the same. I started to get really irritated! I'd sing louder to show her what the right tune was. I would stubbornly not sing at all. I began to think that she was showing off her singing skills in some odd manner. I started listening to 80's music just because Melanie wouldn't know the words and I could sing by myself. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I told her she couldn't sing in the car with me anymore.


When I received my new calling last October I found a book with a really great quote in it:

"You can't have Harmony
when everyone sings the same note"

A light went off in my head! I'd been so tied up with what I was singing and being right that I hadn't really listened to what Melanie had been singing. I really am NOT a great singer and I can usually only hear the melody of a song. So I asked Melanie what she had been singing --- You guessed it, she had been trying to sing harmony with me!

I had been so caught up in singing things MY way, that what I didn't hear how we sounded TOGETHER. It's sad, but Melanie had been listening closely to what I was singing and trying to make what we were doing better. She wasn't working in opposition to me like I had felt.

In Doctrine & Covenants 38:27 it reads, "Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." I think we are all "one" as a song is just one song. But there can be harmony and parts in that song. In fact, having different ways of doing the same thing can be more beautiful and more unifying than singing all the same note.

That's it! That's my thought - I'm ashamed to say I'm full of faults, but happy that the Lord shows me where I'm wrong and let's me learn. As a side note, Carole filled in for me as the sub and I heard that her spiritual thought was awesome! (See, both of us doing the same thing but in different ways! Amazing truths)