Sacred And Secular

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Last night I attended a concert and heard a friend performing in an amazing Handel cantata. It has been some years since I have seen her, and I was amazed at how she now plays the violin with such confidence and dexterity. Later as we chatted, she talked with great enthusiasm about the project she was involved in and it was clear that this was her life's passion. And then she added, referring to her Christian witness, 'but I often wonder how much difference I'm making'. It was said with a tinge of regret and a distinct lack of confidence. I thought this was very sad.

Recently my thoughts have been very much taken up with how I reconcile the sacred and secular in my personal life, with particular reference to music. It is always so much easier to put the different aspects of my life into boxes. Here is the music I worship with, and here is the other stuff, which God allows me in certain doses. But I am coming to see after many years that the lines are much more grey than that. It's more about who I am, and what He created me to be that is worship. I love music, and when I am involved in producing good music, my life changes. I become more hopeful, positive, forward looking, and when I am starved of such experience something feels badly missing. To me that signals something God-given and intended. And yet I struggle with channeling that experience into something that also feels Spirit filled.

I found this great article which I found helpful, containing the following:

We usually think of the work of pastors and missionaries as sacred work, but if we work out of a desire to serve God and others, our “secular” work also becomes a sacred activity. Actually there is no distinction between sacred and secular in Scripture. All of life relates to God, and He desires that we live in a way that honors and pleases Him in every aspect of our lives – at work, in church, in our families, and in all other relationships...

I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences...