«But you have made me as strong as a wild ox. You have anointed me with the finest oil» (Psalm 92:10).
Music boxes consist of a revolving cylinder with small pins mounted on its surface. As it revolves, plucking a keyboard of metal prongs, brief melodies are played. We could think of them as the predecessors of CDs, although they had a more than limited repertoire. They begin playing when a handle is cranked. There are music boxes of all sizes and many of them have a ballerina that moves to the rhythm of the melody that’s played.
In my bedroom there’s a music box I’ve had for years, part of an antique collection brought over from Europe. I don’t know who manufactured it, although I like to think about who the previous owner might have been, what piece of furniture it was placed on…
The interesting thing about those gadgets is that they require a lot of patience, at least while you’re turning the hand crank It’s not activated by simply touching it, as it happens with almost anything nowadays.
Its melody lasts six minutes. So I took six minutes to listen to it, and to remember I also have to be patient with myself. It’s good and healthy for us in our daily lives to find moments to pause, breathe, think, pray and gather strength to go on.
The melody began very energetically, but got slower and slower. It didn’t stop being beautiful in any of its stages or speeds. The thing that surprised me was that, when the music stopped, I accidentally brushed against it and it started playing again, as if it had regained strength.
I remembered the extra time we’re often granted, like that additional strength we thought had run out, but we find out it’s still there.
God also set an intricate motion system within us, with gears and delicate parts that were intentionally placed to play a melody in our lives.
It’s important for us to take a break, and also remember there is sometimes strength when it seems we’ve lost it.
The Bible mentions many people whose strength was faltering and God raised them up and strengthened them.
I don’t know how you’re feeling today, but look up one of those verses, pray and be patient. Strength will come, for yourself or for you to use it to help someone else who seems to have given up.
