1 Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace… will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Well-known pianist Ignace Jan Paderewski’s concerts were sold out for six straight months in New York. One night, a mother brought her nine-year-old son, hoping to inspire him to continue with his lessons. Shortly before the concert was to begin, she looked up to the stage and to her horror saw he had climbed up and was opening up the huge Steinway piano. The audience grew tense, and some people shouted at the boy to get off the stage. But he calmly began to play ‘Chopsticks’. As the ushers began moving toward the young boy, Paderewski himself came out on stage and stopped them. He tip-toed up behind the boy and whispered in the child’s ear: “Don’t give up. Keep on playing. You’re doing great!” As the boy continued, Paderewski put his arms around him and began to play a concerto based on the tune of ‘Chopsticks’.
By God’s standards, our best efforts are like that little boy’s attempt at ‘Chopsticks’, and yet the beauty is that he can take hold of it and turn it into something exquisite. We can get frustrated with our own lack of progress in various areas, but Thomas Merton provides a comforting thought: “We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners all our life!”
God sees our heart, our desire, our motivation. We know whether we’ve tried our hardest or have coasted along in compromise. So if we feel like we’re bumbling along with little obvious sense of progress but actually we’ve given it our best in whatever pursuit for his glory, God draws near to us and whispers: “Don’t give up. Keep on playing. You’re doing great!” Can you hear him?
Lord, I hear you. Thanks. I choose to team up with you today. Amen!
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