my heart is fixed

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Finally, I have attended an Evensong service. At Christ Church Cathedral (see photo). Other than saying it was glorious and beautiful, I am not sure how to describe it. Everything in the service, except for the Old and New Testament Readings, is sung, in descriptive crescendos and long pauses over certain words. It is an all male choir comprised entirely of young boys who possess amazing sopranos. Each time their voices lifted, filling every corner of the cathedral, shivers ran down my spine.

As I knelt on my little red cushion, I thought about the fleeting nature of beauty. About how those boys' lovely voices will disappear with the onset of manhood. About how when I walked into the courtyard of Christ Church, I somehow could not grab on to it and carry it with me always; it was beyond my grasp somehow. About how the sun sparkling through the windows at the top of the cathedral will soon set.

Then the choir began to sing Psalm 57 and reached verse 7: "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." I was reminded that all of the beautiful sights and beautiful experiences are merely glimpses of the one eternal Beauty. Though I want to enjoy and revel in all of the gorgeous sights and opportunities here in Oxford, I want to make certain that I don't fix my heart on that which is fleeting but on that which is constant and forever.
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