Living in Tune

Back in my college days, my roommate taught me a little about the guitar.  While never as good as most folks are, I enjoyed fiddling with it enough to play a few songs.  One of the first things I learned was how to tune the instrument.  What is needed is a good ear as the top string is tuned to the fifth string, the fifth string to the fourth, and on down the fret board until all six strings are in tune with one another.  When one string is out of sync with the others, the guitar does not produce music, but a kind of discordant chaos.   

Years later as a pastor I watched a minister of music stop a Christmas Eve orchestra production to tell one of the paid violinist not to play anymore.  Apparently, she was either unprepared or having a bad night, but she was so out of step with everyone else that the efforts of the whole group was diminished and going down the tube.  It brings to mind that old saying that many of us remember from our childhood:  "One bad apple spoils the barrel."  We have discovered over the years that our groups, our teams, our families, and our churches work better when everyone is on the same page and getting along with each other.   

It is a good thing to be in tune with those around us.  Churches become houses of chaos instead of houses of prayer, families disintegrate, and nations go to war when we forget this simple truth.  When the casualties are counted, it seems like people could figure out a way to get their string tuned with the one next to them.  Jesus points the way as He says, "...love one another..."  (John 13:34)   Peter, Paul, and Mary used to sing a song, "When will they ever learn..."  I wonder, too.