Well, back again, after a trip that was a wonderful adventure, and a special look at some of God’s amazing creation! But first, I’d like to tell you about something that showed up on my e-mail screen when I arrived home.
A friend sent me a story about Itzhak Perlman, a very noted concert violinist. It was about a concert he gave years ago at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Mr. Perlman contracted polio as a child. He wore leg braces and hobbled across the concert stage with the help of two crutches. He sat down, picked up his violin and motioned to the orchestra that he was ready to start.
To the dismay of the large audience, he had played only a few bars when a loud crack, almost like a gunshot, was heard. One of the strings on the violin had broken. The listeners expected him to hobble off the stage to get a new string or another violin.
Instead, this amazing musician paused for a few moments, then motioned to the orchestra to begin playing again. To the astonishment of the audience, he improvised, made changes in his head as he continued, and did what seemed impossible. He played the entire concert of incredibly beautiful music with only three strings on his violin.
At the end, the audience arose as one and gave him a long, exuberant standing ovation.
Mr. Perlman commented, quietly: “You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.”
What a lesson for all of us who name the name of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord! Some of us, as we get older, feel as if we have “nothing left.” We may tend to make excuses for laziness and lack of enthusiasm for the work of the Lord. There are those who may say, “Well, I’ve served (in this, that or the other capacity) for many years. It’s time to let the younger folks take over.”
Well, I’ve got news for you. It is our task, as long as we have life and breath, to see how much “music” for the Lord we can still make with what we have left.
You probably have more “left” than you may realize. The command to “go into all the world does not go away just because of advancing years. We can “go” through prayer, giving, serving, teaching and actually “going” as the Lord leads and makes possible.
“Lord, give me the sheer ”guts,” resourcefulness and determination of Itzsak Perlman. I don’t want to sit around and rust out. The time seems very short; let me burn out for you, Lord!”
