Rest- Just Breathe

I never thought the little rest symbol in music could mean so much or could change my life until one day I went to college. When I was studying music in college, I had a choir director who was a phenomenal teacher.  His teaching of music was more than just notes on a page.  In his class, music was an experience.  I remember a question a student asked him, “Of any piece of music, what was your favorite part?”  The student asked, “Is it the crescendo, which is the high point of any song and gives you a sense of emotional high and energy?  Is it the finale or the ending of the song that gives great satisfaction and conclusion? To my surprise, he answered that his favorite part of any piece of music was the “rest”.  He said for it is in the rests, during that brief moment of quiet and silence in time, that a piece of music breathes and comes to life.  This experience taught me a valuable spiritual lesson.  My favorite parts of life, now many years later, are the rests.  It is in the rests of life that we find renewal for the mind, revival for the spirit, strength for the journey, vision and purpose for the future, and a personal encounter and relationship with the Creator of all the rests, music, and the entire universe, Jesus Christ.  For it was Jesus who said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”.  After creating the world in six days, God rested on the seventh day and called it Holy. So the next time you come to a rest in a song, just cherish that stillness of time and when you come to a quiet time in your life, just be still and know the one who created it all, God.

Written by Justin Knight

Music Composer, Pianist, Recording Artist, Pastor

justinknightmusic.com