A minister once told this story about himself. When he was quite young, perhaps ten or twelve years old, he had a gift of being able to play the piano by “ear”. His mother paid for lessons, and all his teachers were impressed with his ability. His mother also knew that he had not ever learned to read music, but that he could easily “copy” his teacher and sound very good. Finally he was given a new teacher who placed a piece of sheet music on the piano and told him to play it the best he could. “Will you show me how you would like me to play it?” he asked. “I don’t want you to play it according to my style, but according yo your own understanding,” she answered. He was thoroughly defeated, and had to admit that he couldn’t read music.

After that he began the laborious process of learning to read music, and to play the piano accordingly. He became much more accomplished, and could have had career as a professional musician , but became a Christian minister instead. Some times he plays to piano for his congregation. All the years that he played by ear were not wasted, of course, for he became ever more accomplished.

When I heard this I thought that even an extraordinary gift can become a stumbling block to our growth in understanding our Christian life. With the rare gift this young man had, it was hard to see any need for it to be “harnessed” into conventional music.

Paul wrote about the struggle to be motivated by God instead of by ourselves: My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:4) The moment of transition for Peter and some of the other disciples occurred when Jesus appeared to them by the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection. Jesus advised them to cast their nets to the right side of the boat and when they made the big catch, to bring fish to his fire on the beach, where he had bread for them as well. There Peter’s life changed forever. (John 21)

Jesus never condemned the fishing done by Peter and the others; he simply transformed it through his Spirit to a new life for Peter, and eventually for the world.

The young pianist needed to surrender in order to realize his real potential. The moment we perceive that the Spirit of Christ is waiting patiently for us to turn over ourselves to him, the transformation can occur in us. It is beautiful music.

Love in Him,

Prue