Last weekend, we attended the symphony with tickets we’d won in a recent silent auction. One of the pieces played was “Cuban Overture” by George Gershwin. In the program, I read this:
Gershwin effortlessly blurred the lines between serious and popular composition, “classical” and “jazz”. To him music was music, and he gave as much attention to his songs and shows as he did to more formal concert works. One reason for this is that he was a natural, instinctive musician rather than a trained one.
I’ve been taking inventory lately–particularly with my “spiritual life”. Perhaps Gershwin should mentor me because my heart likes the idea of a “natural, instinctive” approach to spirituality, as opposed to a “trained” one, and my mind quickly spins those phrases into a question: Have you somehow, Jason, traded the first for the second? Are you seeking God “as you feel you should”, to the loss of keeping it simple and child-like (or natural and instinctive)? Have you succeeded in complicating and cluttering what need not be?
In recent days, my head would have to nod more often that shake.
Time to go with Gershwin.
Don’t be too hard on yourself 🙂 I’m leery of the idea that spiritual life should be easy and natural if it’s real. Perhaps a “spiritual” response actually only become natural and instinctive after serious training – training that doesn’t usual feel natural nor easy. My favorite quote lately is “Our character is a composite of our habits.”