Peace

It's well past my insanely early bedtime of 8, but I spent my time playing piano this weekend instead of homework. I've been working on this beautiful song called "River Flows in You" by Yiruma. Although associated with Twilight (which I am not at all into), I simply love the song. I'm not much of pianist, but I do know how to play. I mainly taught myself, with a few lessons here and there. It still takes awhile to sight read and learn a new song, but I'm a quick learner (especially when the song is so pretty). The chords are breath-taking and gorgeous. I always like to get my emotions out through music. Something in particular has been bothering me for the past month and sometimes I just need to express myself through music. It's truly amazing how one song can take away feelings of sadness and frustration, if only temporary. Similar to a movie, it's something you can use to escape the reality of life for at least a few minutes and enjoy the gift of music. It also makes me feel accomplished. Although I can play my heart out on violin, and sing fairly well, now I can play a challenging piano piece. There's something about the piano that makes it different than other instruments, though. I can't quite explain it, but I love the chorus of this song, when it hits the high notes and goes into a beautiful melody.



Well, nothing can take the place of the peace that Jesus brings, but I think God created music for a purpose. It can communicate a message, aid in memorizing, and even sooth emotional problems. Recently, I've been an emotional mess. As I've written on previous blog posts, it's really hard to live a balanced lifestyle with the stress of school, and even people. No one's perfect. I've finally realized that, and thank goodness there's Jesus. He's the only one that will never leave me or let me down. People fail sometimes. It's why we're human! Sin is what separates us from the perfect and holy God. Luckily, my Savior is always there for me, even on the days when I'm not being very nice. It's really hard to live at peace with everyone. Whether it be family, friends, or strangers, conflicts will always exist and there's bound to be problems. It's how you react to those problems that makes the difference. Acting moody, or rude to others is not the proper response, but it's what I occasionally do when I don't feel well. When I just want to be in solitude for a while, music does help. Although I played piano instead of homework on Saturday, it was the remedy for my distress at the time. However, music alone won't cure life's trials. A verse that has appeared multiple times throughout the last month and this week is Romans 12:18. It's one of the hardest verses to follow and the beginning part confuses me.

Romans 12:18
"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

Last night, I found myself yelling at God, complaining, "Well you said 'if it is possible,' and I declare it impossible!" Obviously, I was feeling a little upset and frustrated at people. I failed to recognize the meaning of the second line of the verse: "as far as it depends on you." That means that I need to do all I can do to make peace, but I can't make others follow. Feeling guilty at being mean to my family or friends, I did a mirror-check and realize that I need to do my part first. This verse applies to every aspect of life in terms of people. If you're going through a problem with somewhat, this is the answer. Simply live at peace with everyone. Better said than done, right? This is my goal for this month, and hopefully I will learn some life lessons along the way.

-Waterfall picture taken by Bubbly!
-Video from Youtube (obviously...)