A thought by Charles R. Swindall, from his book, What if…God Has Other Plans?: Finding Hope When Life Throws You the Unexpected (p. 139). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
Charles gives an example.
He shares, “Many people consider violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini the greatest violinist of all time. The nineteenth-century Italian virtuoso revolutionized violin technique and set the standard for modern violinists. Yet in the midst of these accomplishments, he was no stranger to disability and deep personal struggle.
“During one particularly memorable performance, Niccolò Paganini stood before a packed house and played a difficult piece of music. A full orchestra surrounded him, offering thundering support. Suddenly, one of the strings of Paganini’s violin snapped and hung down from his instrument. Beads of perspiration popped out on his forehead. Paganini frowned but continued to play, all the while improvising beautifully on three strings.
“Then a second string broke. Shortly thereafter, a third snapped, leaving three limp strings dangling from Paganini’s violin. Even so, the virtuoso completed the difficult composition on the one remaining string. The audience jumped to their feet, and in good Italian fashion, filled the hall with shouts and screams: ‘Bravo! Bravo!’
“When the applause died down, the violinist asked his audience to be seated. Not expecting an encore, they sat down again.
“Paganini held his violin high for everyone to see. He nodded at the conductor to begin the encore, and then he turned back to the crowd. With a twinkle in his eye, the showman smiled and shouted, “Paganini . . . and one string!”
“Then he placed the single-stringed Stradivarius beneath his chin and played the encore on one string while the audience (and, I might add, the conductor!) shook their heads in amazement.”
Charles then says, “I love that story for so many reasons. One reason is that it reminds me of another amazing individual who, despite enormous limitations, found the wonder and grace to play life on one string.
“In her fine book A Place of Healing, Christian author, painter, songwriter, and quadriplegic Joni Eareckson Tada writes these compelling words:
“Whatever strings are broken in our lives—if we concentrate, if we apply what we know—we can still play beautiful music with what we have left. In fact, it will be music that no one else can play in the same way.
“This is a lesson I’ve learned in a wheelchair for so many years—and have had to relearn in these days (and nights) of unremitting pain. Sometimes you have to take what’s left and coax out of life something new and different. Life becomes a recomposition, a series of new chords.
“If you’ll accept the analogy, severely disabled people aren’t your regular violins, and God doesn’t perform in our lives in the ordinary way.
“People suffering from debilitating injuries, terminal illnesses, or chronic physical distress aren’t your standard musical instruments in the orchestra. We can’t do everything able-bodied people can do in their physical strength and mobility and vitality. It takes a special skill to bring music out of a broken instrument, and the one who does deserves recognition and glory.
“God is that one.
“God is the one who finds incomparable beauty and makes matchless music using the most unexpected and unlikely of instruments.”
And he wants to do the same in and through you, no matter what. Will you let him?
Yes, yes!
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