Moving Down Alto Side: The Thankfulness Perspective
I stared at the seat I’d occupied in the church choir for nineteen years. End seat, soprano section. No longer. This was the day. I had to do it. It was past time. I swallowed and grabbed my black folder, clutching it to my chest as I marched past the director and plopped next to the empty chair in the alto section. My friends gave me quizzical stares. I smiled weakly. “Looks like I’m an alto now. You’re stuck with me.”
I know this sounds overly dramatic. Perhaps in some ways it is. But you’ve got to understand, I majored in voice. I was a classic first soprano. The person my professors would call on to nail that high note. Someone who might not sing as well as Sandi Patty, but could at least hang with her in that oxygen-deprived thin air.
When gastroparesis began to erode my singing voice, and my work with the recording label I so loved, I was in denial. Nope. God wouldn’t allow that to happen. He’d never let my voice be taken away.
But my voice left me just the same.
God has since opened up other amazing avenues…a ministry speaking to women and those in prison, as well as writing my twelfth book when it had never even entered my mind that I’d be able to write one. I’m beyond fulfilled with these creative outlets but still, there was something about moving down to that alto section that seemed so hard. As if doing so would some how make the entire process more real. Final.
The death of a dream hurts, especially when you’re confronted with it over and over again.
The truth is, most days I have trouble squeaking out enough notes to even make a decent alto voice. And there is a certain kind of sadness in that realization that seems like a fresh death every time I open my mouth to sing. Or, at least, it did until I learned to focus on the thankfulness perspective instead of what I’d lost.
The Thankfulness Perspective is straight from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
“Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
Did you catch that? Give thanks in every situation, no matter the circumstances. How is such a thing possible? It requires a shift in perspective.
Instead of lamenting the fact that my clothes might be too tight, it’s saying, “Thank You, Lord, that my clothes are too tight because it means I have more than enough to eat.”
Perspective.
When my son is joyfully chasing the dogs through the house, releasing blood-curdling screams that make me reach for Zoloft, I pray, “Thank You, Lord, for this fun-loving little boy…and his very healthy set of lungs.”
Perspective.
When I’m stuck behind a slow poke in traffic and I’m already fifteen minutes late, cars are a mile deep and creeping behind me, my kids are fighting in the back seat and the gas light suddenly comes on, it’s all I can do not to turn into a psychopathic maniac behind the wheel. But what if that infuriating slow driver in front of me is God’s way of keeping us from getting into an accident?
What if losing that job is actually a path to a new adventure God is trying to lead you into?
What if God can teach me more about Him through a time of suffering than He ever could through a time of ease?
What if? What if?
Be careful here though. We mustn’t be hasty to blame every obstacle on God. In a time of distress, people are often too quick to say, “It must be God’s will”. Uh, we have an enemy, and he loves to hurt God’s kids. But the good news is our Father can turn good out of any terrible circumstance the enemy, or ourselves, may cause. 
I may no longer be able to sing like I used to, but for the time I can still sing some. So I’ll join the altos. When I can no longer sing alto, I’ll join the tenors. When I can no longer sing tenor, I’ll join the basses. When I can’t sing bass, I’ll stack hymnals. When my body is too weak to stack hymnals, I’ll be sure to sit on the front row and listen with rapt attention to those who are lifting their voice in praise.
And no matter what season of life I find myself in, I can always pray. Pray for those ministering. Pray for those who are weak. Pray for those leading. Pray for the hurting. Pray for those needing a shift in their thankfulness perspective.
Can you think of a time when something seemed bad that actually ended up being a blessing in disguise? What are some great examples of Thankfulness Perspectives?
Comments 0
Dear Tara – I understand this completely. I told you before that when I lost my soprano voice, I ended up harmonizing (alto, tenor, etc.). I didn’t have the talent that you have, but I accepted that it was part of the plan for my life. Praise the Lord that God has given you another talent to use for him. I seems now that your writings are now your voice for the Lord and he will bless you for them. I love you so much and know you will be blessing to all that you witness to. Blessings always, Love, Grandma
I love you, Grandma! Yes, if we yield ourselves to Him, there is always another grand adventure waiting just around the bend. That’s what makes walking with God the most exciting, amazing journey!
This is beautiful and I can so relate. I love to sing, but years of ventriloquism have ruined my voice. Thank you for putting things in perspective.
Hi Barbara! Oh, I imagine ventriloquism would indeed be very strenuous, yet I look and see the amazing work God is continuing to do in and through you and your husband’s ministry. I’ll pray for you as He continues to lead and guide. HUGS
Dear Tara – I understand completely. Maybe you remember that I told you I could no longer sing soprano and ended up singing alto or tenor in choir. I did not have your talent in singing but I love to harmonize and so found it easy to accept. Tara, I love you so much and know that God has wonderful plans for you. Maybe His new plan for you is in the written word – Your “voice”! Whatever the plan is, I know it will be God’s plan and it will be a blessing to you. I will continue to pray for you and your ministry. Blessings and love, Grandma
Thank you for sharing this, Tara! I didn’t know that about you. However, you now know altos ROCK–I hope. 🙂
Yes, my bad-turned-to-good story is that many years ago I was laid off (budget cutbacks) from teaching elementary school in a town across our mountain valley 30 minutes away. I was devastated but still trusted God that he would provide something even better. He did. At the very end of summer I got a job teaching ENGLISH right in my little town at the high school–English, very favorite subject! (I had three different credentials.) And with only a 90-second commute! I taught each of our four kids . . . and just retired after 26 years years of teaching. If I had not been laid off, I would have been obligated under contract to stay where I was when that teaching job near home opened up. God’s amazing sovereignty once again in my life. #thankful
What a wonderful story, Janet! Those things that seem so devastating one minute are the same things we can look back on years later and say, “Only God could see that coming and prepared the way.” So awesome!
And yep…altos rock! By the way, how many altos does it take to screw in a light bulb? None. They can’t get up that high.
How many sopranos does it take to screw in a light bulb? Just one, but they don’t do the turning. They stand still while the world revolves around them. 😀
Sis. Tara, I’ve been wanting to tell you how much I miss sitting by you in choir, wondering if I should bring it up so I’m thankful that you did. I’m having trouble typing now for the tears. Your strong voice helped me more than you will ever know, to learn every song. I can’t even read a note of music but following your voice was all I needed. Now, I hold back, as I listen hard to the music, hoping to pick out my notes. Bless you for the blessing you have always been to me in so many ways. I’ll stop now and try to stop this “waterfall” I’ve got going. 🙂
Awww, you’re so sweet! I miss sitting by my soprano buddies but I’m not worried about you a bit. You have a lovely, strong voice and you’re going to do an amazing job lifting our Savior’s praises…just like always. And hey, when I’m having a good day, you may just hear me getting my window rattlers on every now and then. 😉 HUGS!