Harmony

Contributed by Rev. Joanne Rowden

In February we hear a lot about the idea of love. Unfortunately, for many of us, we have come to understand love in such a way that it seems you can fall into and out of love. Love has often become trivialized. The idea of love as a power seems naïve. And yet, if God is love, then what could be more powerful than to be love expressing?

Charles Fillmore, co-founder of the Unity movement, defines love as the harmonizing power of the Universe. It is love that joins and binds together the universe and everything in it! From this perspective, love truly does make the world go round!

With this definition in mind, I have been giving a lot of thought to harmony in music. When a chord is played in harmony, all the notes work together to create a sound that is pleasing. If there is discord, the notes simply do not work together. By simply taking away one note from a chord, discord is created. Something is missing. By adding an extra note that is not in accord with the others, discord is again created. The notes, in and of themselves, are not a problem. It is only when a note is being combined with other notes that harmony or discord occurs.

The amazing thing about music is that an infinite number of songs and genres are created by simply combining individual notes. With all the songs that have already been written, there are still more songs yet to create. With the contribution of each individual note, a song is born. We all know harmony when we hear it. And we all know discord as well.

If I am experiencing discord in my life, I have the opportunity to allow love to express and create harmony from the discord. Like the notes of a song, I may be asked to let go of something within me that is contributing to the discord. I may have contributed a “note” that is simply not working with the other notes expressing. Perhaps I need to let go of my need to be right; the defenses with which I protect my heart; or the attitude with which I am sharing my words. It may be that there is something else I need to add to the other notes expressing. Perhaps I need to add deep listening, a kind word, or an attitude of compassion.

No matter what is occurring to create discord in my life, love is the answer. This power of love is not an emotion that comes and goes. This power of love is my True nature, your True nature, God’s nature. When we respond to life centered in the power of this love, our relationships come into harmony and all are lifted up!

Would you like support in coming to a deeper understanding of the power of love in your life? Join us at Unity in Edinboro on Sunday at 11 a.m. as we continue to support one another in becoming deeply committed to waking up in Oneness in God.

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Rev. Joanne Rowden is an ordained Unity Minister serving Unity in Edinboro. Ordained in 2010, she has been the Spiritual Leader of Unity in Edinboro since 2001. Rev. Joanne is also the Treasurer for Unity Worldwide Ministries Eastern Region. She is active locally in supporting Catholic Charities in their refugee assistance work by providing Financial Literacy Training to the refugees arriving in Erie. Rev. Joanne has also been involved in establishing an Interfaith Council in Erie. You can reach Rev. Joanne by phone at 814-450-6090 or by email at joanne@unityinedinboro.

Posted by Admin on Feb 9 2013. Filed under Messages of Faith. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.