February 2024 Magazine

The Gift of Sour Notes
by, Elise Ingle
N OBODY LIKES A SOUR NOTE. WE
DON’T LIKE TO HEAR THEM. WE DON’T
LIKE TO SING THEM. WE MOST
CERTAINLY DON’T LIKE TO STRING THEM
TOGETHER. EXCEPT FOR COMPOSERS.
COMPOSERS LOVE SOUR NOTES, AND
THEY LOVE TO GROUP THEM TOGETHER.
SOUR NOTES MAKE SWEET NOTES
SWEETER.
COMPOSERS WILL WRITE DISSONANT
CHORDS INTO A PIECE OF MUSIC FOR A
PURPOSE. DISSONANT CHORDS PROVIDE
TENSION. THAT TENSION IS TERRIBLE,
BUT EVEN AS THE EAR PROTESTS, IT
STIRS A LONGING FOR RESOLUTION.
DISCORDANT NOTES WORK TOGETHER
TOWARDS AN AWE-INSPIRING END.
TENSION DEMANDS A BEAUTIFUL
RELEASE.
SO MANY OF US ARE GOING THROUGH
HARD TIMES RIGHT NOW. SOME OF US
ARE FACING DIAGNOSES THAT HAVE
ROCKED US TO OUR CORE. SOME OF US
ARE FACING LEANER TIMES THAN WE’VE
EVER SEEN BEFORE. SOME OF US ARE
GRIEVING SUDDEN LOSSES, UPENDED
HOMES, AND BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS.
13 NJR DIGITAL MAGAZINE
THE DISSONANCE IS PAINFUL AND OUR
EARS ARE RINGING. OUR HEARTS ARE
ACHING FOR RELIEF, AND WE’RE
WONDERING WHY GOD HAS WRITTEN
SUCH JARRING NOTES INTO OUR
STORIES.
GOD IS THE GREATEST COMPOSER OF
ALL. NO ONE CAN WRITE A SWEETER
SYMPHONY. OUR LIVES MAY BE FILLED
WITH BITTER HARMONIES RIGHT NOW,
BUT WE CAN TRUST OUR GREAT GOD
HAS A PURPOSE IN THEM ALL. OUR LIVES
MAY BE COMPLICATED, AND THE
TENSION STILL RISING, BUT WE CAN
LOOK AHEAD TO THE REST AND BEAUTY
THAT GOD HAS WRITTEN IN THE
MEASURES TO COME. GOD HAS PRE-
WRITTEN EACH RESOLVE; WE’RE JUST
NOT THERE YET. AND THE GREATER THE
TENSION, THE GREATER THE RELEASE.
NOW, MORE THAN EVER, THIS PROMISE
SUSTAINS ME, “AND WE KNOW THAT ALL
THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO
THEM THAT LOVE GOD, TO THEM WHO
ARE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS
PURPOSE.” (ROM 8:28) I MAY NOT LIKE
THE PARTS I’VE BEEN GIVEN, BUT I CAN