I Felt a Force in my Fingers
On Christmas Eve Sunday, I sat at a beautiful grand piano in front of a congregation of hundreds. A singer waited patiently at the pulpit for me to begin the intro, and I waited patiently for my nerves to calm down. Eventually I had to start, and as I did, I hit a few wrong notes and played out of rhythm, until the singing started and I got into a flow.
And that’s when it happened. That’s when I felt it. Fingers that had been unsure became sure. Missed notes gave way to correct notes. Anxious speediness slowed down to calmer tempos. Lack of jiving with the singer changed to synchronization.
Every time I play in church, this same thing happens: some force flows into me, like Captain Marvel’s power, and into my arms and fingers, helping me play with confidence and accuracy. I’ve felt it at the organ as I accompany congregational hymns and at the piano, as I did on this day. Why is that? What is so important about that moment that a Heavenly influence would support me in it?
It's the most important moment in the lives of Latter-Day Saints who have promised to give their lives to their Savior. Music brings clarity to the soul at a moment when souls are deciding to recommit and repent. Our Lord wants no wrong notes to disturb these important wrestles within the "quiet chambers of the heart".
I'm just grateful to have had a small part in helping light shine into souls -- my own soul as well as those of my brothers and sisters.
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