Coda of Life

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

Since I am a musician, I often think of things in musical terms. And when I hear a musical term, I sometimes relate it to things other than music. That is why when I once saw the phrase “Coda of his life”, meaning the end of someone’s life; I started to think of how an entire piece of music would fit together to symbolize a life.

The very basic thing you need for any music is the melody. That would represent your life. Each melody is unique and beautiful in its own way. The melody continues on throughout a piece of music, but sometimes it is changed a little: it could change tempo, the speed of the music; the rhythm of the melody could change; it may go into a minor key, which is often thought of as a sad or lonely sound; it could simply change keys so that it gets higher or lower for awhile, very similar to the peaks and valleys of our own lives; and sometimes only a small section of the melody can be heard during fast past sections of the music, especially during transitions in the music.

A melody by itself can be very beautiful, but we often enjoy hearing other parts that support the melody…this is called the accompaniment or harmony. In your life, this would be your spouse, your children, your grandchildren and possibly even great-grandchildren.

The more intricate the music of your life becomes, the more that is included. So your music may even have secondary melodies running through it. These are called countermelodies, but they do not mean they are counterproductive to your life. Remember, music is something beautiful to hear and sing. The countermelodies would represent the others that come into your life, but are not necessarily always a part of your life. These could be friends, co-workers, neighbors and even people you see everyday, but have never spoken to.

Music is built into sections that could include: phrases, very similar to phases of life; verses, which would be the story of your life; choruses, which would be something worth repeating; or perhaps even entire movements, which could relate to major changes in your life.

Music can begin very simply or with a long introduction. We may all have stories about our birth that we enjoy to share. My grandmother loved to tell others how she was in the room when I was born. She was a nurse and my parents were visiting with her while my father was finishing Officers Candidacy School in the Navy. She often told me how I got that doctor back for spanking her little grandson when I wet all over him.

And music ends in differing ways as well; sometimes it ends with a simple chord progression of a few notes, quickly and with little flourish; sometimes it repeats a chorus of our life; and sometimes it has a long, extended section known as a coda. But don’t be mistaken; a coda is not a dying down or dwindling of the music. Codas are often some of the most intricate, detailed and wonderful sections of the music. In classical music composers tried to create new and interesting styles of music during the coda. In modern music, we often get an increase in the intensity and even dynamics (or volume) of the music during the coda.

If you find that you are in the “Coda of Your Life”, don’t think that all is over and now is the time to rest. As any musician will tell you, you do not let up until the director cuts you off. If you are sitting here today, God has not giving the signal to stop the music. And for some of you the best is just beginning. Senior adults are a valuable asset in any church ministry, and believe it or not, they are one of the largest group of volunteers in foreign missions. It is possible that God has written much more into the song of your life than you have realized. Just continue to press on toward that final goal.