Preparing for the Stage
Dear
Girlfriends,
My first
piano lesson - I was so excited. Five years old, heart thumping, I carried my
new music books in a little red satchel (I've
always been "all about the bag") to Mrs. Lucile Booth's house. Well, to the
other children she was known as Mrs. Booth, but to me she was my great-aunt,
who we called Aunt 'Cil.
Aunt 'Cil
was not a push-over for any of us - especially me. She had my number from day
one and promptly burst my bubble by explaining to me that no, I would not be
prepared to perform on stage anytime in the near future - I had work to do. Work? I thought this was called playing the piano, not working it!
Besides, what's the point if I can't sit on the stage, under the bright lights,
with everyone applauding my magnificent performance? No, she explained, "we
have to prepare". And prepare I did. Yes, there would be annual spring recitals
in my future but I wouldn't perform on a real stage (for me that meant a
college auditorium) for 20 more years.
But that 20
years of piano lessons, theory classes, and the endless ticking of the
metronome gave me the foundation I needed for when I would finally hit the
stage. I was a nervous wreck knowing that my final grade depended on a flawless
performance. The heat was on.
I suspect
for about half of you reading this today - the heat is on for you, too. Life is
hard; tragedy is staring you in the face or at best, disappointments are
mounting. If you're a sub-set of the other half of our readers, maybe you've
not yet had your face-to-face with despair. Well. . . you won't be left out. I
don't mean to worry you but I'm also not going to sugar-coat the reality: None
of us escape the pain and suffering that accompanies the gift of life. We will
all, women of all faiths and no faith, single or married, rich or poor, live
through the season when the suffering seems to have no end. The question is -
how well have you prepared?
"Life has a way of crashing down on us without warning.
Whether we like it or
not, sooner or later, all of us end up in the war zone, where
life ceases to be tidy and the pain threshold goes off the charts. Women are not spared
this kind of active combat, which makes it all the more urgent for us to think
through our theology so our views of God will sustain us when the battle begins to
rage."
- Carolyn Curtis James,
When Life and Beliefs Collide; How Knowing
God Makes a Difference
A business
fails and bankruptcy looms.
A nursery
stands empty.
A son is
arrested.
A husband
is missing from his side of the bed.
Life is
hard. The heat is on.
Do you feel
like you're sitting on the stage, alone? You're not.
As
hopeless, as empty, as tired, as frustrated, as sad, and as angry as you might
feel, I want you to know you're not going through this alone. He's sitting
right there on the bench beside you. The question is: Will you let God play,
too? Or is this a solo performance?
Whether you're
facing your biggest nightmare or living the big life, I hope you will consider
how great it would be to have Him on stage with you. Only God can fortify you with
confidence, hope, and peace as you play the hard notes.
We have
work to do.
Still
taking lessons,
Ellen
Posted on August 22, 2007 11:52 AM
| Category: The Piano Lesson
|
