Middle C!

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

When I was five years old, my Mama decided it was time for me to play the piano, so I began a long, arduous journey to learn to play. The first lesson of piano begins with a look at the keyboard where one begins to learn the notes by letter, cleft, flats and sharps. Middle C is the starting point.

Middle C is named thusly because it is the note on a piano or sheet of music which is directly in the middle or the center of the bass and treble cleft. It is important because its the center of the universe, so to speak, or home base for musicians and it helps novices acquire a starting point.

My first piano teacher (I had many) was Miss Marion Roberts, the organist for our church. She always said, “If you lose your way on the piano, go back to Middle C.” Like the piano, life is like that. Life is hard, but Christ, our Middle C is always there. There are many things in this life which try to draw us away from our focus on Christ, but we always should remain faithful to our Middle C.

How many things depend on the center or Middle C? If you begin to list them, you must include things such as a wagon wheel, the hands of a clock are anchored there, the fifty yard line of a football field, the center on a football line, the center of a basketball court, and the list goes on.

When I think of all the Middle C’s in my life, I have a few which stand out.

The first C is compassion. There are many mornings lately during my quiet time that a name will come into my mind. It could be friend, a relative, a student, or someone else, but they are there because they could use some love and care. They need someone to be a stand in for the arms and love of Christ. If we are Christians, it is our job to be that for them. We might not be able to save the world, but we can make it better for others, one life at a time by offering compassion when suffering. illness or hurt shows up.

Companionship is the next C that comes to mind. Randy often ends a marriage ceremony by inviting the couple to include Jesus in their lives as a constant companion. He is with us during good days and bad, trials and suffering, and He has vowed to never leave us. It is a comforting thought to be assured of His companionship.

The third C is Courage. It takes courage to live in this world of changing values, morals, and behavior. It is necessary for fighting life’s battles. There are so many blessings in this life, but there are times when we must fight things such as resentment, depression, jealousy, and temptations. It takes courage to hear two sides of a story before making a judgment. It takes courage to put Christ first above mortal men.

Christ is the paramount C on my list. Who can possibly live a Christian life without Christ as your Middle C? There are so many times in our lives when we wander too far to the right or the left of the keyboard of life. We forget to trust and rely on Him in all circumstances, and we tender to forget that He is present with us even when we can’t see Him working. It is in those times that we should look to the final C.

The final C on my list is the Cross. The cross stands before us, behind us, and beside us in all of our life problems. If we can just look beyond the problem to the Cross, we will see Jesus there just waiting to bring us back to Middle C.

My prayer for us all this day is that we will never forget the presence of God and His hand in each and every situation we face.

In Christ there is no east or west, in Him no south or north, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth. Hymn In Christ There Is No East or West by John Oxenham