We’re gathered in a beautiful, historical home for a piano recital. Gabriel will play tonight. All of the family is here. Two sets of grandparents. Four brothers. Lonny and me. Gabe sits at the end of our row. He’s wearing a new blue bow tie and his hands are curved around his music book.
The song he’ll play is stamped on my own heart. He’s been practicing for weeks. The crescendo at the end has echoed, time and time again, through the halls of our home.
When it’s Gabriel’s turn, he moves forward and takes his place behind the grand piano. For a moment, his fingers hover above the keys. And then he begins to play. He’s about a third of the way through when he misses a note. The mistake registers on his sweet face, and he pauses for a whisper of time.
And then he plays on.
At the end of the piece, he takes his seat. “I messed up,” he whispers in my ear.
“It’s okay,” I whisper back. “I’m proud of you. I love you.”
I can see that this affirmation brings my little boy peace and confidence. He nods and smiles. He’s been met with compassion and love, and he knows that he is fully accepted and is fully pleasing. Relief washes over him. His shoulders relax. His hands are still and restful. They fold loosely on his lap.
It makes me think about the way that we can go to the Father.
As children of the Lord, we are welcome to approach Him with our shortcomings–and not just for comfort when we don’t perform as well as we’d like or when we make an innocent mistake. He longs for us to come to Him with our tough stuff. Our willful trespasses. Our unloveliness. Our rebellion. Our all-out sin.
And He is gracious to receive us.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far is the east from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:11-12, NIV)
His mercy is boundless. His compassion is endless. He pulls the burden from our backs and casts our shame away.
And like Gabriel, we can rest.
Our shoulders can settle.
We can breathe easy.
And we can move forward, with peaceful hearts, forever changed by a song of grace.
