All That Jazz

When we’re growing up, no kid seems to like rules. I remember a similar experience learning to play the trumpet. My teacher wanted me to learn a bunch of scales. I just wanted to play songs. Our readings today also speak of rules, but especially having them in the right balance. It’s good to follow the rules, but we can’t become obsessed with the rules. No musician will perform scales for a concert.

In music, perhaps the best analogy to the kind of life God wants for us is found in Jazz. You’ve got to know the rules…the scales, the key, the changes, etc…but then you get to make it up. You improvise. May we all learn well the rules of life and then improvise with our unique lives as we give God glory with all that jazz.