UNREHEARSED 'SOLO' MELODY!

Singing out loud has forever been a passion of mine. As a child I would learn the words, with ease, to all radio and television advertisements and songs, and sing along in melody with the artist. My siblings would complain and ask my mother to please put a plug in me, which she did in the way of LOUD 'shush' words. I realise it must have been annoying for them, but it was something I could not help, and still can't to this day. I just love to sing and if I hear it, and know it, I will sing without even realising.

I am truly blessed to be on the worship team at church, not because I think I can sing, but because of my passion. The enjoyment I get is when members of the congregation approach me and insist that they can see how much I love to worship. This makes me feel so good, just knowing that my love of singing is so obvious, especially as its songs that worship our Lord Jesus. This causes me to feel extreme humble joy and reminds me to give thanks to God, for it is only by His grace that I am on the worship team, with a willing voice, singing for Him.

I sing sometimes twice a month and we practice on Saturday mornings and then early Sunday before church, and wow do we have awesome fun, I just love it. We sing for the two morning services, and then a different team prepares for the evening one.

Anyway, I answer to the leader who tells me when, how and all that stuff. Because I sing melody, I follow them as best I can and learn to do this during practice. Sometimes I record the practice and then perfect it as best I can at home. However, there have been times that the leader will change the course, during the service, when I don't expect it, and I try follow as best I can without looking lost.

Then, what happens to most singers alike, in choirs and teams like ours, is what I experienced first hand...,we make unintentional unrehearsed solo mistakes. There we were, in the third song of the morning and the pianist started with the wonderful intro, and I as usual watched the mouth of the leader to see when to come in. This time though, I think I must have imagined his mouth moving because mine started, with sound, without him. As I started, so the congregation joined in with me. As I witnessed his silence and still mouth, so I went silent too, leaving the congregation hanging in a place of not knowing what was next. I felt the blood rushing to my face and was told afterwards that my blushing was very deep and obvious.

We had such a laugh as a team and the leader suggested afterwards, with a playful smirk of course, that my solo was nice.

What I learned from this experience, is that as much as we try and rehearse our lives according to how we believe God needs us to live, there will be times when we go solo without intending to do so. And I pray you will know, just as my worship leader expressed joy at my error, that God does too, for as long as we realise our mistake, stop in our tracks, and return to fall in melody behind Him again. It is through our mistakes that we learn to lean on Him more. After all, He is our solo Leader and Creator of everything, and the only melodious and wonderful way we should ever follow.

Ephesians 5:19 (NRSV)
as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts.