In The Sound of Music 1, the mother superior tells Fraulein Maria, the boisterous postulant nun, to leave the convent to help a motherless large family. When she protests, the abbess asks her, “What is the most important thing you have learned during your time in the abbey?” “To find out what is the will of God,” Maria replies, “and do it wholeheartedly.” And so she goes, albeit quite scared, to fulfill the greater purpose God had for her life and eventually find her happy ending.
When I was young, I was puzzled by the choice that Jesus made in the Garden of Gethsemane. He wept, He prayed … and then He yielded, saying: “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 2 He didn’t have to die, but He did so, for our sake. This concept is something I’ve always struggled with, but I’ve been trying to learn.
Once when I had just had a baby, my husband was asked to drive a group of young people to a three-day Christian seminar in Córdoba, Argentina. He was a good driver and the only person the organizers and parents trusted for this assignment. However, I was miserable at the thought of him leaving right then, and I let my feelings be known, which made things uncomfortable. It was only when I decided to accept that it was the right plan that my soul felt at ease, and in the end, everything ended up working out just fine. My husband’s trip was a success, while I was well cared for by dear friends.
A modern Christian leader said that life is like a beautiful melody playing all the time; we just have to learn how to tune in to it. As Fraulein Maria sang, “The hills are alive with the sound of music”—the Creator’s music is playing everywhere, and we can participate in His orchestra by doing His will on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter what instrument we play, or even if we can only clap our hands—we can all be a part of His wonderful symphony!