Harmony.

Today, I had the opportunity to drive myself to a nearby city. On the way, I was listening to a recording of the Boston Pops Orchestra as they played a compilation of music from Riverdance.

As I listened, I was transported back to my time in high school band. I don't mean to sound arrogant or prideful, but we were good. For one of our concerts, we played music from Riverdance. When it was passed out, I took it home to learn both the flute and piccolo parts.

I remember grimacing and really not liking my part. It was boring and sounded disjointed even when I had mastered it. (Which took a while - it's full of uber-fast triplets and never-ending runs). But eventually, the concert happened. My part hadn't changed. But as I sat there playing my best, and everyone around me did the same, it was positively exhilerating.

It's a lot like being in the body of Christ. We each have a part. Alone, it may seem boring, disjointed, or unappealing. We may consider it and decide it's not worth mastering. But when it is combined with other parts, carefully blended both in volume and pitch, beautiful harmony is created. The end result is a sound so exquisite... Individual parts can only be discerned by a trained ear. They are all there, lending their unique quality, but the end effect is one solid wall of beauty. Being part of that final result while contributing a 'lesser' part is more fulfilling than playing the most amazing solo could ever be.