Waxing Elephants

Ever heard the phrase "waxing eloquent?" It's a lovely, if somewhat antiquated, phrase.

Leave it to me & Jeff to mess it up. :)

Somehow, somewhere along the line, "waxing eloquent" became "waxing elephants." We typically use it as a form of gentle teasing when the other becomes philosophical. Sunday morning, I was waxing some big elephants, and I've decided to share my thoughts with you.

As we were rushing around, trying to get ready for Sunday school, Jeff asked me what I thought about singing. It was a rather open-ended question, and I didn't have much of an opinion until he asked me. At that point I was able to article something I've felt for a long time.

You have to understand that I have a background in music, and a deep love and appreciation for it. Because of my love for scrapbooking and photography, I really get and appreciate visual art as well. In fact, the two are often inseparable for me. They are two sides to the same coin, falling under the greater heading of Art.

Have you ever noticed what a beautiful Earth God created for us? Stop and look and listen. If there was never a musical instrument created, the world would still make music. The waves would continue to crash into the shore, wind would still rush through the trees, and birds will forever sing their own unique choruses. If no paintbrush ever touched a canvas, God would still paint colors across the evening sky and splash color across a field of wildflowers.

You know what else is intriguiging? God created us in His image. When you look at this piece of Art we call home, you can see that God must have great appreciation for beauty. Since we are made in His image, it's easy to understand why there have been so many countless artists and musicians throughout history.

Singing is simply our artistic expression of our love for God. Music by its nature evokes emotion. It doesn't matter if it's a cappella or instrumental or both. The composer created it as an expression of a feeling, often one that can't be put into words.

Maybe the words from this Stephen Curtis Chapman song explain it best:

Listen to Our Hearts

How do you explain, how do you describe

a love that goes from east to west

and is as deep as it is wide?

You know all our hopes, Lord you know all our fears

and words can express the love we feel

but we long for you to hear.

Listen to our hearts, and hear us sing

a song of praise that flows from those you have redeemed.

We will use the words we know

to tell you what an awesome God you are,

but words are not enough to tell you of our love

so listen to our hearts.