I was touched by a poem I read last week. It reads:
It acts like love – music, it reaches toward the face, touches it, and tries to let you know His promise that all will be okay.
It acts like love –music, and tells the feet, “You do not have to be so burdened.”
My body is covered with wounds this world made,
But I still longed to Kiss Him, even when God said,
“Could you also kiss the hand that caused each scar,
for you will not find me until you do.”
It does that –music – helps us to forgive. – Rabia
Rabia of Basra is an influential female Islamic Saint who we will learn more about over time. The poem draws me to a central theme of my faith – the path to God goes right through that town called ‘forgiveness.” Who makes those wounds? The poet Rabia lays them at the feet of the World. A world that includes ourselves as well as our enemies and neighbors. She also suggests that music “helps us to forgive.”
Each of us has different tastes in music, but there are few people I know who don’t have love type of music that allows them to escape, to be at peace, and simply enjoy being alive. Whether it is classical or rap, opera or country, hard rock or blues, jazz or bluegrass, some type or all types strike a chord and suddenly we feel differently about ourselves and others in the world. Rabia tells us that music can help us to forgive. Perhaps she is really saying that it’s that part of us that feels the rhythm of the music, that makes us want to sing and dance unburdened, is also that part of us that can “kiss” those who caused our scars.
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