Wishing
to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother
took her boy to a Paderewski concert.
After
they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience
and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity
to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose
and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE."
When
the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the
mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was
missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused
on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw
her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle,
Twinkle Little Star."
At
that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly
moved to the piano and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit.
Keep playing." Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with
his left hand and began filling in the bass part. Soon his right
arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added
a running obbligato.
Together,
the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening
situation into a wonderfully creative, experience. And the audience
was mesmerized.
The
lesson: Whatever our situation in life and history -- however
outrageous, however desperate, whatever dry spell of the spirit,
whatever dark night of the soul -- God is whispering deep within
our beings, "Don't quit. Keep playing.
You
are not alone. Together we will transform the broken patterns
into a masterwork of My creative art.
Together,
we will mesmerize the world."
|
