Out of Tune

Out of Tune 

Cathy had just finished her breakfast and turned to her mom, who was cleaning the counter top. “Mom, will you come to the school concert to hear Meghan and me play our flute duet? You will be proud of me, mom. I have my piece down-packed to the last note. Say you will come, please.”  

Meghan and Cathy were flutists in the making, and were given the opportunity to play in the school’s choral the coming weekend. The girls spent much time rehearsing, but of late, they focused their attention on what they would wear to stand out when they entered the stage. Cathy wanted to impress everyone and kept reminding her parents consistently and persistently about taking time that morning to witness her performance. 

 The day was here, and the young lady wanted to ensure that her mother did not drown herself in work and forget such an auspicious moment, so she reminded her mom for the one hundredth time. 

“Cathy, I would not miss your debut for the world, my dear.” When the mother turned to smile at her daughter, Cathy stood up from the table. Mother stood aghast when she saw the skirt her daughter was wearing.  

 “Where did you get this, Cathy? I did not purchase this and neither did your dad. Where are you going dressed like this; not to a school concert?”  

Cathy and Meghan had decided to wear the skimpy outfit that would accentuate their figure when they came on the stage. Cathy had not told her mom about their plan, and therefore, she decided to give mom a preview of what to expect. For a moment, she forgot who her parents were and the standards they upheld.  

“Cathy, tell me, where did you get this little skirt, and what possessed you to wear it today when the whole school community will be fixing their eye on you?”  

“Meghan bought it for me so we would be uniform on the stage. She looked at how teen show girls dressed online and asked her dad for the money to purchase it for both of us. Meghan believes that we are in show business now, so we should liven our wardrobe.”  

“Well, you are my daughter, Cathy. Meghan is not my daughter. I cannot tell her what to do or wear, but you are my daughter, and it is my prerogative to tell you what to wear. Please go to your room, and put on something decent.”  

Cathy looked her mother squarely and said, “Mom, sometimes I believe you are too old-fashioned, too naive. All the other girls in the band will be wearing outfits like these. Why can’t I be like everyone else? Come on, mom. Give me a break, please.”  

Cathy’s mother did not blink an eye. “Young lady, you are not like anyone else. You are my daughter. Now, please go change into one of those beautiful skirts that you have hanging in your wardrobe and get ready to go to the concert. I will be there as soon as I am through here.”  

Fuming with rage, Cathy reluctantly changed her skirt and met with her friends at the community hall. Mother came in time to see her daughter and her friend enter the platform. They were both decently dressed. Mother smiled, “I must congratulate Meghan’s mom, later.”  

 Meghan and Cathy began to play, but something was wrong. There was much discord in their notes. The notes they played on their flutes were different from the notes on the piano accompanying them. The girls were embarrassed and continued to make more mistakes as people covered their ears and gave them thumbs down. Of course, they were relieved when the song was over.  

“This was humiliating,” cried Cathy after the show. “We made sure we well-tuned  our instruments with each other. What could have gone wrong?”  

“Did you and Meghan tune your flutes with the piano? Did you go to rehearsal when Sister D called you? Remember, she made the announcement at the school, but you paid no mind because you were certain that your flutes were well synchronized. You paid more attention to what you would wear, how you would look, how people would see you than to what was expected of you.?”  

Cathy thought of what mother said and did not dispute it. Mother was right. They had not rehearsed with the piano, although the piano teacher warned them that this would happen.  

“Know what, mom? That reminds me of what we spoke about at devotion some time earlier? We may be in tune with the standards of the world and not with God’s standards. The piano stood there to represent God. Meghan and I should have been in tune with it for our music to flow smoothly.”  

“Yes, my child. If you are going to be out of tune with anyone, let it not be with God.  

Boys and girls, how about you? Are you in tune with God or with the world? The Bible tells us that we should not be conformed any longer to the patterns of the world but be transformed, changed, by the renewing of our mind, having a mind like Christ. (Romans 12:2