I have a neat story that I would like for you to read… so here goes…
The folklore surrounding Ignace Paderewski includes this story: A mother, wishing to encourage her son’s progress at the piano, bought tickets for a Paderewski performance. They found their seats near the front of the concert hall. The mother found a friend to talk to and the boy slipped away. When eight o’clock arrived, the spotlights came on, and only then did they notice the boy on the piano bench innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” The master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. “Don’t quit—keep playing,” he whispered to the boy. Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized. In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear, “Don’t quit—keep playing.” And as we do, he augments and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is created.
I have been thinking lately of just how big and awesome God is. (I know what you are thinking… that is an impossible subject to really get a grasp on.) But, in considering that subject, I came to a realization… God can be even bigger in my life if I will simply make myself more vulnerable to Him.
Has someone ever turned a light on in the pitch black room where you were sleeping? The light seems more brilliant because of the preceding darkness. The darker the darkness, the brighter the light is. And with squinting eyes, we try to comprehend the light. This is an awesome story of contrasting power. Ignace Paderewski was an accomplished concert pianist. A large crowd paid to come and hear his masterful music… A young pianist with elementary skill played all he knew to play, and truthfully no one, except for maybe his mother would have paid to hear him play… but the two of them together captured the attention and heart of the whole crowd.
You know, God doesn’t ask anymore from us than that we play what we know how to play. We must do what we know to do. Sure, it is inferior to what is needed most of the time. Maybe all we know is “Twinkle twinkle little star”, but God requires that we get in position to do our best… and with us pecking away at the task at hand, He wraps himself around us and “Twinkle twinkle little star” begins to sound like, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Nk5mXJJLI
Hear the words of Jesus, ”My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” As long as I think that I am capable of doing something for the Kingdom of God, then I am limited in my effectiveness and success. But when I realize that I am weak and infirmed… and through that knowledge, give Jesus all the rights to my life… then and only then can real, supernatural power come flowing through my life. I have to become vulnerable to God, to see His strength perfected in my life.
In all that you have been called to do, never allow yourself to give up and quit. Hear the words of the Master, “Don’t Quit… Keep Playing”.
