peace . love . joy

Tintinnabulation (tĭn'tĭ-nāb'yə-lā'shən) : the ringing or sounding of bells

Bells have been used for a very long time, in fact, they are one of the oldest man-made musical instruments. They are present in a great many cultures, religions, civilisations, etc. Though what they were made of, how important they are and what they were used to signify varies from place to place, culture to culture, a few things remain the same. Bells generally were used as signals, heralders of news and tidings. They do not ring out in any clear language that humans speak, like English, Mandarin, Greek, Latin, Arabic, etc. Even then, the ringing of a bell, whatever the form or adornment, is easily identified as such.

I think we are rather like the bells we make.

Just as bells may be made of different materials, taking on different shapes and sizes, so we are physically different. Even twins, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets are not identical. Our skin is different in shade, tone, elasticity and texture, our eyes, different in shape and size and color. Each of us are special and unique based on our physical appearances alone. Surely that testifies to how creative and infinite our God is! I can't even begin to understand how there can be infinite ways to mould the form of a human being without repeating! Fantastic. Even if you take only physical appearances into consideration, it more than suffices to holler volumes of the creativity and infiniteness of our God.

Because the bells are made different, even seemingly identical ones, their individual tones and timbre of the sound produced are different, even if it is only by a fraction of a degree. Because of the different circumstances we each faced growing up, the different people that we each met growing up, we each embody a different set of reactive tendencies. We react differently to the same situation, to the same people, to the same string of words. Our hearts beat to different rhythms. Some of us pursue beauty, whether it be in the clothes we wear, the make up with which we paint our faces, the music we produce, the art we create. Some of us pursue love, yearning to find that special someone with whom we can spend the rest of our lives with. Some of us pursue acceptence, longing to fit in to that cookie-cutter mould that the strange society dictates. Perhaps we are all driven, albeit to varying extents, in our thirst and hunger for beauty, for love, for acceptance.

But bells are united, in that they all are used as signals. So some of us are united...in Christ. Our hearts have found the acceptence and love they are longing for. Our souls have found peace. Our eyes have found the beauty that is indescribable in any human tongue. Even then, we take notice of different things. Some of us feel a greater burden to teach and build up young believers in the good faith. Some of us feel a greater burden to go to those still in the dark, bringing with us the light that was so graciously and mercifully given to us by Light Himself. Some of us feel a greater burden to intercede for others. So many burdens! Thank goodness we are so different from one another! While we may all feel and see the need of the many ministries, imagine carrying all those burdens to their fullest extent!

The tintinnabulation of bells.

Bells were made for the purpose of ringing. What good is a bell if it does not ring?
God made us to tell, shout, sing, praise, draw, dance, act, create, teach, (the list is endless!) of His glory, of His majesty, of His great and complete love for us, of His forgiveness. Our hearts and souls and minds must ring out this tune of worship. Because only then, we find rest and feel, no, are complete. We ring to the tune that was first rung two thousand years ago. The disciples of Jesus. When He died and rose from the dead, the dust that had settled upon the disciples was shaken off and the ropes of their bells given a fervent tug, that they may ring throughout and continue ringing for all eternity. While we may walk to places whose language we know not, or face people we know not what to say to, our walk itself would betray what is in our hearts. And it will be recognised as such.

May your every step betray your love for the Lord.
May your every breath be pleasing and of worship to the Lord.
May the dust be swept off your bell, and may it be rung so fervently and forcefully that it may sound loud and clear!

May the Lord God, the Father, go before you and illumine your way,
May the Savior Obedient Son, Jesus the Christ, take your hand and walk with you always,
May the Holy Spirit that was sealed in you grow stronger each day.

May you never forget the "miracle of no miracle".