To Manage, To Lead
It seems only fitting to me that this particular musical device was invented by someone who shares my husband’s family name, albeit with a a bit of a spelling variation. Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel is credited with designing the first metronome, a device that produces an audible, yet somewhat annoying click at regular intervals at a speed, or tempo, preset by the musician. This pendulum-like wonder is used by musicians worldwide as they master the habit of playing their instruments at a regular, steady pulse…no speeding up…no lagging behind…steady! My husband is what I fondly refer to as a ‘metronome groupie,’ a musician faithfully dependent on that small device to provide the steady pulse while he diligently practices his horn exercises. And in spite of my humorous criticisms, the fruits of his labors do pay rich dividends, for when he plays in a group setting, he is able to set his internal metronome to whatever tempo the conductor chooses, and never waiver.
I find it somewhat amusing that the heart specialist referenced a metronome when discussing with us my husband’s recently installed pacemaker. A pacemaker is a small medical device placed under the skin to help control one’s heartbeat. If one suffers from an arrhythmia (note that the word rhythm is hidden within that word), or irregular heartbeat, a pacemaker can be used to send an electrical signal to the heart to restore a steady, life-sustaining pulse. The pacemaker is, for all practical purposes, an internal metronome, keeping that vital organ in a regular rhythm that supports a healthy heart.
The word metronome is a combination of two ancient Greek words: metron, or measure, and nemo, to manage, to lead. I may not have a physical pacemaker as does my husband, and I may not be terribly fond of the sound of his musical metronome, but thankfully I have been given a spiritual metronome of sorts, a Guide that sets the pace for my life, that manages and leads the course of my day, when I am submissive enough to allow that leading. My spiritual Pacemaker was inserted on February 16, 1975, when, in a miraculous moment in time, I was made spiritually alive by the grace of God, regenerated, given new life in Christ, and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of my life, gifted to me at that moment of salvation, is my seal, my divine guarantee that I have passed from death unto life. He is my divine identification that I am indeed a genuine child of God; He assures me that a permanent transaction has taken place that cannot be changed or altered.
Not only did the Spirit indwell me on the day of my new birth, but He also became my constant guide, setting a regular pulse for my new life as a believer. It is He that prompts me into obedience to my Father through the Word of God. That same Spirit convicts me of sin and stirs my soul when I have strayed from my Lord. When I am weak and spiritually defeated, it is the Spirit Who intercedes for me, with “groanings which cannot be uttered.” He is my “Comforter” when I am overcome with grief and sorrow,” and through His divine comfort I find the strength to “abound in hope.” He empowers me to resist when I am tempted, to witness to the lost when I am reluctant or fearful. And when I submit to His leading and His management in my life, He produces rich fruit, fruit that ultimately glorifies my Father.
My prayer for this new year is that I will be more attentive to that pulse set by the Spirit dwelling within me, that I may be more responsive to His gentle nudging in my life, that I will be submissive to His management. May I allow my body to be a clean “temple of the Holy Ghost,” as I rest in His “wisdom and understanding,” His “counsel and might.”
Isaiah 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD.
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