12 Finishing Touches
FINISHING TOUCHES
It was my first recording session. I had studied for days, memorizing all the melodies. But what really excited me was the thought of hearing it all put together—violins, piano, horns, and harps. All the tracks blending into one beautiful expression.
To get an idea of how it was done, I went down to the recording studio several days in advance, just to listen to the musicians lay down the orchestral background music. They gathered in a little studio, representatives of the musicians union, some of the top professionals in the country.
The arranger put the score sheets down before them and—believe it or not—after one rehearsal they were ready for a take.
I was stunned that these people could just walk right in and play a very complicated score—full of sharps and flats, minor and descant chords—all on sight. The sound they created was breathtaking. Absolutely beautiful.
But do you know what happened after they went through it once and got it down on tape? Many of them left their seats and went on break, milling around the rooms of the recording studio, sipping on Cokes or coffee. They seemed totally detached from the beauty of the music they’d just had a part in creating. Only one or two bothered to listen to the playback.
I couldn’t believe it! How could these people create something so extraordinary and then … just walk away from it, not wanting to hear its final form?
Since that experience, I’ve thought about God’s joy in creating something beautiful in us. Philippians 1:6 tells us that, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
In other words, He will develop that good work that He has begun in your heart and life. He will perfect it and bring it to a full and satisfying completion.
You see, God doesn’t walk away from His creation. He doesn’t take coffee breaks. He’s not off relaxing somewhere between jobs, sipping on some refreshments. He’s never nonchalant or aloof about the work of His hands. He’s creating something beautiful in us—far more beautiful than a symphony.
For Him it’s not simply another job that needs to be done. His reputation is at stake and His Son’s image is the model. It’s perfection that God has in mind—maturity in Christ, that’s the end result.
God is always finding new ways of refining you and changing you and improving upon the score He’s written with you in mind. He’s at work in your life today. He’s not on a break, no matter what your faltering faith or weary emotions might tell you. Even in seasons of suffering and pain, He draws out deeper, more beautiful chords than anyone imagines, blending them into your life symphony.
He’s going to stick around. He’s going to be there for the finishing touches. When it comes to the tracks of your life, He’s going to be involved with the blending and sorting. And on the day of Christ Jesus, He’ll be there with you for the playback. All of heaven will be stunned to see and hear what His marvelous work has created in your life.
A Step Closer
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.
ROMANS 8:29
Let’s just take a moment to pray….
Abba Father, thank You for Your assurance that every life experience—no matter how perplexing or heartbreaking—
is making me more and more like Your own Son.
No experience—no matter how senseless it might seem—
is wasted. The shaping hurts sometimes, Father,
but by faith I affirm that the end result will be glorious.