Everything is a world in and of itself. This is one of the first things I discovered when I went to college and had to make more definite decisions on what I wanted to pursue. Over the next few weeks, I want to share with you the many lessons that I have learned and continue to learn about Christ and the Church through my pursuit of music at Ball State University.

In my senior year of high school, I knew that I wanted to pursue music, but I didn’t think that I could survive piano school. So I chose to pursue percussion, even though I had touched my first percussion instrument only a year prior. I poured my time into learning snare drum, timpani, drumset, and all the little things needed for collegiate percussion auditions. At that time, I was utterly amazed by how expansive the percussion world was and how much there was to explore and develop. This feeling of amazement felt reminiscent—however, at the time I had no idea why.

Once I started college, I learned that what I touched at the end of my high school life in my fervor to learn and pass auditions was just the surface of many many years of study and dedication to a musical craft. While I was considered a “good” percussionist in my high school, I was the absolute worst among all of my peers in college. I had no idea that every instrument would be its own world and that many people dedicated their whole life to studying that little aspect. As I continued to develop my technique in mallets, snare, and timpani, I saw more and more of their individual worlds unfold and expand. Imagine standing at the edge of a boundary to another world: at first you just see wonder, and then you take a step forward. You start seeing the lines of mountains, valleys, and many different terrains. As you continue on your journey, you realize that each mountain has its own individual parts, and you’re faced with pure amazement at how large and expansive the world is.

Yet again, this experience with music felt reminiscent and so real in such a different way, and it wasn’t until the middle of my college career that I started to realize why. Just as there is a depth to music and percussion and snare drum, there is a depth to Christ, although with an even more infinite nature. That first glimpse of Christ when I was in middle school was like my first experience of percussion in high school: a moment of being utterly amazed with how expansive Christ can be. Simply looking into an unknown world, not yet even understanding what there is. Just wonder.

My experience in college with percussion was similar to the first few steps I started to take with Christ as I discovered that there’s a beautiful landscape filled with many wonders to explore and dive into. I realized that my understanding of Christ, similar to my understanding of percussion, was so limited. It was simply the wonder of a child, and the assumptions I made about a craft. However, once I started to pursue, I started to see more details of the landscape. Mountains, rivers, and valleys. Riches, wisdom, and knowledge of immeasurable depths.

I had realized a simple aspect of life. The more you pursue, the more is unveiled and the more you start to see a beautiful picture. As I reflect now, I realize that although I practiced so much and studied so many different aspects of percussion, I was still only standing at the precipice of a world, and in my spiritual life I haven’t even walked to the edge of the cliff yet. If the percussion world—or any field/world—was so expansive, how much more is the life of Christ?

“Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” Romans 11:33 (ESV)

There was so much depth to Christ that I had not even yet started to see and experience. It was an overwhelming, yet striking realization. How have I gone so much of my life standing at the entrance to this new world, marveling, yet not taking any steps forward? I started to understand a little bit more why even Paul would use the phrase the “unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). Faced with this immense world, I was unsure of how to even proceed. How do I even take steps in this world?

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 (ESV)

These verses in Ephesians came to mind and filled me with so much encouragement. Praise the Lord that Christ dwells within my heart and that I can comprehend with all the saints! Instead of standing at the edge of this massive world alone, I have Christ Himself, dwelling within my heart! Even more, I am surrounded with the saints who also have Christ within: the Christ who leads us and guides us to experience Him and fill us with all the fullness of God!

I hope that you too can see and experience this expansive and beautiful world of Christ. I know personally that I am excited to take some steps and explore the landscape, and I hope that you will join me as we explore the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ!