Jennifer Blacklock

Yesterday we had our piano tuned. I should back up- I’ve dreamed of having a piano for years but always thought of it as maybe a “someday” thing; well, recently someone Justin knows from work just gave us a piano. Just said, “if you can move it, you can have it” (by the way, moving a piano is actually the reason for the phrase “easier said than done”, but, with some extra hands and a borrowed trailer, we managed). 

It’s beautiful and beautiful-sounding. Since the people who gave it to us never had it tuned, we expected it might sound horrible, but it didn’t at all, it sounded good! Maybe just ever-so-slightly off but not enough to bother us- we’re just thrilled to have a piano! So we’ve been greatly enjoying learning and playing. 

Who knows when we would’ve eventually had it tuned (small town, no piano tuner, not a priority) if it hadn’t randomly been mentioned that a friend wanted a tuner to come and needed a few others who needed servicing in order for the tuner to make the trip.

So. We had our piano tuned yesterday.

After testing it a bit, the tuner could tell it had been a long time that our instrument had gone without servicing, and he explained that it was out of pitch. Our options were to have it tuned to itself or to raise the pitch and then be able to properly tune it- basically tune it twice. It would cost more and take longer, but while he was here, we figured we should have it done right.

Right. There is actually a right way for a piano to sound. A pitch that is perfect- that, no matter place nor age nor material nor player, every piano should match. There is a standard that is unchanging and right. We could have had our piano tuned to itself, so that it would sound right, alone, but really, technically, it would be wrong.

There is a standard of right- morally, spiritually- has been since the beginning of time. Though obviously cultures and eras have been vastly different (much like the vastly different styles and songs that could be played on an instrument), God has always been and always will be right. 

People can deny it or pretend it doesnt change anything and live far away from God- like an out-of-tune instrument. But God is still God- still right (and right there, wherever you are, loving you).

See, people “living their own truth” isn’t actually better. The lie is that living by a standard is imprisoning and that deciding for oneself what’s right and true is freeing. But we were created by the One true God, for the One true God. To know Him and love Him (obedience being part of that love). Though everyone has a different song and style, there is a standard. A perfect pitch. God and His word are truth. The truth.

Faith in Jesus- belief that His sacrifice is enough, obedience to His commands (that, miraculously, Span across cultures and eras), is the only way to be “right” with God.

And when we played that first song after the tuner was finished… wow! We hadn’t known what we were missing before- we thought it had been fine! But as soon as we heard what perfect sounded like, we understood what had been missing.