I've never thought of comparing God to jazz music before. It took a clever writer like Donald Miller to do that. Writes Miller:"I never liked Jazz music because Jazz music doesn't resolve. But I
I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes. After that I liked jazz music. Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way. I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened."
What happened? you ask. "Life," Miller would probably say. At least that's what I think he'd say. Miller has a quirky, unpredictable style of writing. To me life is equally as unpredictable and quirky. Maybe that's why I like his style. I mean, it is amazing the views and opinions we hold, that is, until life happens to us. Once life starts happening to us it has a way of forcing us to rethink our opinions. It reshapes our views and molds our personalities. Perhaps this is why Jesus says that he is the "Way and the Truth and the Life." If we allow him to become the biggest influence in our life, then we will allow him to reshape our opinions and our views. God's desire is for us to be reshaped and molded into the image of his dear son, Jesus.
The most difficult part to accept about God is that he does not resolve. He does not answer every question with an answer. He tends to answer questions with a question. He does not solve every problem with a sum total, rather, he takes the total and divides it into parts. In this, God has a way of teaching us patience. Because, most likely, we won't see how those divided parts fit together to form a complete picture until our today’s become tomorrow’s and eternity becomes now.
Maybe that's why everybody should like jazz. It's a bunch of musicians who all seem to be playing their own tune. They free-style and solo, seemingly, at will. I think it's cool because, by the end of the song, it all comes together in a strange sort of way that does not seem to resolve but to the jazz lover it sounds sweet and makes perfectly good harmonic sense. The musicians simply close their eyes and only occasionally look at their instruments. They simply play without looking. It's as if they are in love with the music; as if the music is the love of their life.
Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it. Watching the Father love the Son, and, in turn, watching the Son love me has caused me to fall in love with the Son. Why does he love me? I haven’t resolved that yet but like jazz, his love sure is sweet.
Just some thoughts from my heart and mind.
