Representative

 

I’ve been teaching mariachi music for the past two weeks.

For those who don’t know:

Mariachi music is music that originated in Mexico

And has five main instruments:

The guitarrón, vihuela, guitar, violin, and trumpet.

(Ever so often, you’ll see a harp, but a harp is not necessary for mariachi.)

 

Even if you aren’t familiar with music,

Then you’ve probably heard of and seen a guitar, violin, and trumpet in your lifetime.

They are all common instruments,

Originating from Europe,

And played in a variety of musical settings.

 

The guitarron and vihuela, however, are specific to mariachi music.

They originated in Mexico,

Are instruments of the people,

And are much less common than the guitar, violin, and trumpet.

 

So when I showed a video clip demonstrating mariachi instruments to my students

And the video didn’t include the trumpet or violin,

I asked my students why they thought the video left out the violin and trumpet.

I was expecting them to say because they’re more common, or

Because they’re used in other types of music.

I wasn’t, however, expecting anyone to say 

Because they aren’t representative of mariachi.

 

Whoa! Wow! Bam!

What an amazing answer!

I, myself, had not been so perfectly specific in my language as to say

Because they aren’t representative of mariachi.

But that’s exactly what I was trying to teach my students.

The guitarron and vihuela?

Representative of mariachi.

The banjo and mandolin?

Representative of bluegrass.

The string family of instruments (violin, viola, cello, and bass)?

Representative of the orchestra.

 

Me?

Representative of…

And therein lies the question.

What do I represent?

If a video were being made of my life,

What would the video’s subject matter be?

Would it be faith, hope, and love?

Or would it be doubt, pessimism, and hate?

Would it be the fruits of the spirit?

Or would it be the fruits of this world?

Would it be Jesus?

Or would it be a selfish me?

 

Oh God: May my life be representative of you, for You Are Love. Amen.