“Pull in your elbow”, my violin teacher told me over and over again. I always obeyed, but I thought, “I don’t need to do that. I’ve seen violin players that held the instrument lots of different ways; this is just her style, but it might not be my style.” One day when I was practicing, I could ‘t get even close to the right pitch. I remembered my teacher’s admonition to pull in my elbow, and suddenly I heard a sound on the D string that was a rich, resonant G, and it sounded lovely. I had heard it from others, but I had never quite achieved it on my own. It occurred to me that my teacher was not teaching me her style, but she was teaching me to play the instrument that I wanted so very much to be able to play. In fact, she was not teaching me “style” at all; but she was teaching me the basic, elementary methods of just learning to play the simplest pieces. This revelation changed my attitude, my practicing and even my relationship to my teacher. I no longer thought that she was selfishly trying to replicate her own technique, but I began to recognize the gift that she was conveying to me.

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. ”

Jesus answered : “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you for such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

What is it that prevents us from seeing the Father? It is just what prevented me from playing the violin: my foolish belief in myself more than my belief in my teacher. It was awkward to “pull my elbow in”, and didn’t seem easy. It was a preconceived idea of the Father, and the familiarity of Jesus that prevented Philip from seeing God in Jesus. Jesus painstakingly repeated that he, Jesus is “in the Father, and that the Father is in me.”

God doesn’t teach us His “style.” Rather, He extends His heart to us unconditionally in love. It’s a huge concept, and also a reality. Besides all the rules , commands, and the Covenant itself, God is a Person who extends His Character of love to us, who have preconceived and mistaken ideas of Him. His patience is eternal and His instruction renews us. Our obedience is an acknowledgment of our faith in Him. It is sweet, rich resonant music to God; and when we recognize the gift He has for us, we hear that music with Him.

Love in Him,

Prue