Finding Middle C
Dear Girlfriends,
I was on my knees, head to the floor, furiously screaming: "Where are you? Don't you care? Why have you totally abandoned me?"
He
was nowhere in sight. Day after day, my Savior had failed to show up in
my crisis - and now the situation had reached an all-time climax. I was
heartbroken, and I was furious. He was missing in action and I was
completely disoriented.
To find my way back, I had to rely on two principles learned during my first year of piano.
After
Aunt 'Cil burst my bubble by informing me that there would be no
Carnegie Hall in my near future, we got down to business. The very
first thing she taught me was the principle of middle C: here is where
it is, and this is where you find it on every piano. If you ever get
lost, looking at all the black and whites - head home to middle C.
I
learned another critical lesson, later that same year. Because I was
very small, I found it difficult to reach the lower and upper octaves
(the next set of 7 to 14 keys on the keyboard). This required me to
"scoot" up and down the piano bench. However petite I was, Aunt 'Cil
informed me, it was no excuse for such poor performance behavior.
Scooting on one's hiney was not allowed! No, if I wanted to be an
accomplished performer, I was told I must learn to stretch.
There
are some interesting parallels between finding middle C, scooting
around, and losing sight of God. First, just like middle C, God is
always in the same place. Regardless of what piano we're playing,
regardless if our life is on the upswing or spinning out of control,
He's there and willing to be our compass when we get lost. On every
piano, and for every person - regardless of age or origin, history or
future - middle C and God never move around; when we get disoriented,
we can always head home.
Second,
like music, circumstances in our lives often lead us into
"hard-to-reach places" and sometimes we scoot around, trying to make
life sound better or feel better than it really is. Rather than
stretching and staying close to God when the music turns dissonant, we
develop some bad performance habits. We act self-reliant; we become
self-absorbed; we attempt to self-medicate; and we ultimately
self-loathe. And we ask, again, "Where are you?"
On
that Thursday evening nearly nine years ago, my grief was more than I
could handle and the hurt of my absent LORD burned deep in my soul.
Where did He go? How could He not hear the pleas of a mother who loved
her child so dearly?
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8
That
same night would prove to be a turning point in my acceptance of His
sovereign plan, and the first step in building an unwavering faith that
sustains me today.
To find middle C - to find God again, you will need to head home. He hasn't moved. He hasn't abandoned you. He's just waiting for you to get off the bench so He can play the encore.
Seeing Him clearly in His silence,
Ellen
Posted by Ellen on August 30, 2007 11:38 AM
| Category: The Piano Lesson
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