There is something so beautiful about an instrument played as intended. That is, played with heart and soul. Whether a simple tune or a more complex piece of music, the manner or spirit in which an instrument is played adds a lot, including depth and width, to the overall performance. Not only does it affect how it is received, but also what it touches, moves, and brings to the surface in those who are present.

If one were to break it all down, fundamentally, playing with heart and soul begins with a desire or a love. The more one can stay connected with this, the more it can unfold and blossom, eventually burning with a passion, so much so, that it cannot be contained. More fully awakened, it overflows, touching in some way, all who come into contact with it.

While there are varying views on different religious traditions and practices, if one were to strip away what might be readily perceived or that which might be disputable, essentially, they seek to bring out, and to help one to live out of, one’s heart and soul.

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. – Matthew 4:4b

In a world that has a great many things to distract us from being our best, it can be hard at times to hear music in the midst of all the noise. If you can hear or sense it, though, you can embrace it, and live it. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, in their multitude of forms, can be of great use in helping one to turn down the volume, tighten or re-establish the connections, and proceed with heart and soul.

Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude, we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self. Jesus himself entered this furnace, and there he was tempted with the three compulsions of the world: to be relevant (“turn stones into loaves), to be spectacular (“throw yourself down”), and to be powerful (“I will give you all these kingdoms”). There he affirmed God as the only source of his identity (“You must worship the LORD your God and serve him alone”). Solitude is the place of the great struggle and the great encounter—the struggle against the compulsions of the false self, and the encounter with the loving God who offers himself as the substance of the new self.

– Henri Nouwen