Edited by Jim McCrory, Sunday 8 November 2026 at 14:07
Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18
The Music We Hear
Do you remember my recent post, Which Traveller Are You? (see reference below).
I was thinking about that recently while reminiscing about a period of my life in Norway. We had become friendly with a Christian family who lived in Sandnes, just outside Stavanger.
One day, I gave their youngest daughter a tape of some music. About a month later, her mother told me that she loved it so much that she would fall asleep listening to it every night.
I was delighted. Despite the difference in our generations, it seemed I had something to offer that she genuinely enjoyed. It was a small thing, perhaps, but a rather pleasing discovery.
Yet I also remember giving exactly the same music to another family. Their response was quite different. A few days later, they came back and mocked my choice, describing the music as "depressing".
The same music, but two very different reactions!
It set me thinking about the people we meet along life's journey. Some seem to see the glass half full, while others see it half empty. Some find beauty in things that others find melancholy. What one person finds comforting; another may find quite the opposite.
I wonder how much of this has to do with the way we look at life. We each bring our own experiences, feelings and expectations to what we encounter. Perhaps we don't always see things quite as they are, but partly through the lens of who we are.
As I sit making notes in my notebook, I find myself wondering whether there is a Bible verse that speaks to this aspect of being human, and of approaching life in a godly way.
One that comes to mind is Philippians 4:8, where Paul encourages us to dwell on whatever is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and worthy of praise.
Perhaps there is something important in that advice. We cannot always determine how others will receive what we share, but we can choose the spirit in which we offer it. We can learn to recognise goodness and beauty, even where others might not see them.
And I find myself thinking again about that young Norwegian girl.
She will probably have children of her own by now. I wonder whether they, too, sometimes fall asleep to gentle songs.
Perhaps that little gift of music became part of a memory she carried into her adult life. I shall never know, of course, but it is a pleasant thought.
It reminds me that we don't always know what becomes of the little things we give to others. A kind word, a thoughtful gesture, a piece of music. They may travel further than we imagine.
And perhaps that, too, is part of the beauty of being human.
The Music We Hear: The Language We Speak
Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18
The Music We Hear
Do you remember my recent post, Which Traveller Are You? (see reference below).
I was thinking about that recently while reminiscing about a period of my life in Norway. We had become friendly with a Christian family who lived in Sandnes, just outside Stavanger.
One day, I gave their youngest daughter a tape of some music. About a month later, her mother told me that she loved it so much that she would fall asleep listening to it every night.
I was delighted. Despite the difference in our generations, it seemed I had something to offer that she genuinely enjoyed. It was a small thing, perhaps, but a rather pleasing discovery.
Yet I also remember giving exactly the same music to another family. Their response was quite different. A few days later, they came back and mocked my choice, describing the music as "depressing".
The same music, but two very different reactions!
It set me thinking about the people we meet along life's journey. Some seem to see the glass half full, while others see it half empty. Some find beauty in things that others find melancholy. What one person finds comforting; another may find quite the opposite.
I wonder how much of this has to do with the way we look at life. We each bring our own experiences, feelings and expectations to what we encounter. Perhaps we don't always see things quite as they are, but partly through the lens of who we are.
As I sit making notes in my notebook, I find myself wondering whether there is a Bible verse that speaks to this aspect of being human, and of approaching life in a godly way.
One that comes to mind is Philippians 4:8, where Paul encourages us to dwell on whatever is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and worthy of praise.
Perhaps there is something important in that advice. We cannot always determine how others will receive what we share, but we can choose the spirit in which we offer it. We can learn to recognise goodness and beauty, even where others might not see them.
And I find myself thinking again about that young Norwegian girl.
She will probably have children of her own by now. I wonder whether they, too, sometimes fall asleep to gentle songs.
Perhaps that little gift of music became part of a memory she carried into her adult life. I shall never know, of course, but it is a pleasant thought.
It reminds me that we don't always know what becomes of the little things we give to others. A kind word, a thoughtful gesture, a piece of music. They may travel further than we imagine.
And perhaps that, too, is part of the beauty of being human.
Which Traveller Are We? | learn1