Letter from the Editor: Resonate Wisely

As a little boy, I was fascinated by the piano. 

The piano has amazing abilities. If you hold down the pedal on the right and then make a loud noise, like a loud chord on a guitar, the piano will softly resonate with that sound. You may have to listen carefully, but it’s like the piano quietly copies what it “hears” even though none of the notes on the piano have been played. Truly amazing.

On the odd occasion, I got to see inside the piano – strings, hammers, dampers, and the soundboard. I’ve always liked to know how things work. Back then, I hadn’t understood the function of the soundboard. Now I know the soundboard is a large, thin piece of wood behind the strings. It acts as an amplifier of the sound produced by the strings because of its capacity to resonate. The string makes a sound, the soundboard resonates, and the volume of the sound is increased. A crowd of people in a concert hall can hear the sound made by piano strings because of the resonance of the soundboard.

What do you resonate with? Have you ever heard a great sermon and gone home feeling like you really resonated with what you’d heard? 

It can lift you up spiritually. Beautiful music played and sung with excellence can do the same and point my mind towards God. After an experience like that, I’ll easily tell others about how wonderful it was. It reminds me of the hymn, “I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love….”

Now, here’s the challenging part. In a piano, the soundboard can resonate with any sound. It doesn’t get to choose – it just resonates. But we can be discerning. We can resonate with that which builds or with that which tears down. Some love to tell a negative, critical, accusing story, and I ask: why? The Bible tells us of a time when the power of Christ has come, and the accuser of the brethren is cast down. 

The apostle Paul gave us some guidelines: whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely and of good report – if there is any virtue and if anything is praiseworthy – think on these things. That shapes thought processes. It helps me choose what I’ll listen to and where I’ll go. There are so many things to be positive about.

So, what resonates with you? Let me encourage you to be a positive influence for good as you let the story of Jesus and His love resonate through you.