In the Ken Burns PBS series on jazz music, Duke Ellington was asked how it felt to be unable, due to segregation, to stay in the guest rooms of the hotels he and his band performed in. He said, “I took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.”
Lately I keep coming back to Romans 5:3 — “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance, proven character…”
Tribulations are unavoidable, inevitable and inescapable, but you can change how they affect your life with a right response. You can use your energy to pout, or you can use it to make great music. It’s up to you.
Every day we face some kind of setback, some kind of disappointment — and everyday we have the opportunity to invest our energy in something more productive than anger, frustration, resentment or self-pity. Our challenge each day is to put those reactions aside, and focus on every opportunity to make music.
