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Last week, our son got a huge stack of homework from his
violin teacher, Mrs. O. Mostly scales and arpeggios, but also some sheet music,
none of them familiar classics.
Not being a musician myself, every day I am mystified by his ability to look at a piece
of paper and convert these dots, squiggles and their particular locations on the lines
into anything even remotely resembling music. Going beyond that and playing something that is actually recognizable and enjoyable using four wire strings and a horse tail and we have moved into a realm of geniuses. Every kid that plays in his orchestra is a genius in my book.
This morning, however, he put his best effort into a particular piece, but what came
out of his violin sounded... well certainly not enjoyable and definitely unrecognizable. It was clear to both of us that he was missing something and that he needed help.
So, I went on YouTube and found the same piece played quite decently
by a young man who obviously knew what he was doing. I watched my son watch intently the boy in the video and when the last note was played the light bulb was on:
Mom, I’ve been doing
it all wrong! This piece - I’ve been practicing it all wrong.
Apostle Paul found himself in a similar situation when he bumped
into Jesus on the road to Damascus .
All his life he practiced his piece faithfully, diligently, even with passion and zeal. He paid careful attention to every note and
every measure. He was convinced that he was right but he got it all wrong! He completely missed the music! He was a meticulous observer
of everything set down in God’s law Book, became its strict and devout adherent, a fiery defender of the purity of his
religion, but when he encountered God in human flesh, he saw Him as a heretic?!! He wanted to kill Him!
It took meeting Jesus face-to-face for this zealous musician
to recognize that all his effort in studying and practicing his life music, his passion and his determination completely missed the point. The encounter, however, forever changed Paul's life, its chords transcending centuries and reaching our ears today.
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