it's not the quality of the voice, but the sincerity of the singer

I've taken to a new routine each morning.  After seeing my daughter off to school I pull out my computer and listen to one of the sunday services our church has recorded and placed online.  It's a great way to start my day, grounded in prayer and faith, and allows me to take on the day with a clear perspective of what is truly important.  As I sat listening the other day, I found myself revisiting a service I had attended earlier in the year, and my mind began to wander back to the time when I heard the sermon "live".  


Can you ever recall sitting in church when a hymn comes up, the organ begins to play, and the congregation joins in with the well know song; then inevitably someone well within ear shot is belting it out with no regard to the notes or key?  Or for those of you more likely to be in the bleachers than the pew on Sunday, have you sat at ball game when the national anthem comes up and inevitably there is the enthusiastic fan belting it out with little regard to notes or melody?      


I like to think I'm a tolerant person, but the reality is, when I hear that off-key singing, I cringe.  It's not that I expect everyone to be Andrea Bocelli, but I have difficulty keeping those negative thoughts from creeping in when what I should have be doing is focusing on the song, and what I am really there for - the experience.    


So I thought about that for a minute, and realized that those who are most likely singing with abandon are singing from their heart.  They are there, in the moment, feeling the words.  They are not there to impress, to be noticed or to be the center of attention. They are at church to worship, and praise God.  They are at the ball game singing their national anthem with pride in the country in which they live.


Jump back to the sermon of this morning, where our Pastor concludes with, "you are not what you think you are, you are what you think".  Nothing could be more true.  I may think I'm tolerant, but if my mind is intolerant, I am not.  I may think I am open-minded, but if my mind is judgmental, I am not.  


So, how to solve this?  I believe by repeating the behaviors that define the person we want to be, we create habits that can eventually change the way we think.  And when we create habits that change the way we think, our actions become sincere and we can change the world.