Make Music with the Strings you have Left

 

Yitzhak Perlman was a great violinist who had suffered from polio as a child and walked with crutches and braces on both legs. During a 1995 concert a string on Perlman's violin suddenly snapped, and everyone in the audience could hear it. The great virtuoso stopped and gazed at the broken string as those in attendance that night wondered what he would do. Perlman closed his eyes, and after a moment of reflection, signalled the conductor to begin again. 

It must be impossible to play a great symphony with just three strings but Perlman was undaunted. He seemed to be re-composing the piece in his head as he went along, inventing new fingering positions to coax amazing sounds from his three string violin.

The audience watched and listened in awe, knowing they were witnessing a truly groundbreaking performance. When the piece was over they exploded into appreciative applause. Mr Perlman smiled, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said "you know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."🕀

This is a time of great frustration and disappointment for millions, piled upon anger and grief caused by this dreadful pandemic. We are all curtailed in some way. Though here in our island home we are free of restrictions on our lifestyles and worship, the borders are closed and we feel keenly the sorrow of isolation from loved ones. 'Rock fever' is very real for some.

But - it is what it is. Restrictions are necessary in order to save lives. The instrument of our society is broken, so what kind of music will we make? Perlman's example reminds me of the book of Psalms, where although the writers were passing through deep trials and sorrows, they sang about their pain, and they sang about their God. Here, for instance, is one short song from Psalm 13:

How long, Lord? Will you forget me for ever?

    How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

But I trust in your unfailing love;

    my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing the Lord’s praise,

    for he has been good to me.

In our disappointment and grief today, let's decide to make music with the strings we have left, not to obsess about the ones that are denied us in this season.

May God help and strengthen us all in this crisis. 

🕀 Taken from Joni Eareckson Tada, A Place of Healing (David C Cook, Colorado Springs, 2010) 102

Stuck in But not Stuck!

 

The police were at our door again this week. I say 'again' because they came a few weeks ago when I was in self-isolation before. Now, they parked their car ostentatiously outside our little home and one of the officers approached the door checking his clipboard. The neighbours must have thought they had been called to a 'domestic', or that perhaps there had been a break-in while we were away, but no, this was just a 'welfare check' during our compulsory self-isolation. Our only crime was to leave the island and return again, having visited a place soaked in viral degradation - JERSEY!

The fines levied on those who have broken self-isolation recently have been eye-watering - thousands of pounds per offence.  We are thankful to our neighbours and the wonderful fellowship at Vazon Church for the meeting of all our needs so that we have been able to stay locked away, but are really looking forward to being free in a few days if our test is negative.

Guernsey has taken the pandemic very seriously, as our police visit shows, and have, so far, been successful in keeping levels of infection very low (just one person at present). There is a price to pay though. Apart from the period of house arrest that returning travellers or visitors must endure, there is the sense of being cut off from the rest of the world. Families are forced to remain apart. We long for that freedom to return, though we accept that sacrifices must be made in the short term.

Thankfully, the word of God is not bound and prayer knows no borders. We can link up with folk in every nation to seek God's blessing and peace for them where they are. Dear friends battling Covid 19 infections in the UK, churches forced to close their buildings and shut down singing and much of their youth and children's work, pastors and their families facing destitution and even prison in countries where their faith puts them at the back of the queue for assistance. No, we may be stuck in but we are most certainly not stuck. There is a vital work to do, no matter how restricted our circumstances.

And how about you? If chronic illness or pain are keeping you away from others, or infection or the fear of infection limiting your ability to socialise, let this be a season of waiting on God. We will meet again, as Her Majesty famously said, but till then, remember the words of the hymn-writer Oswald Allen (1816-1878):

'When all things seem against us,

To drive us to despair,

We know one gate is open,

One ear will hear our prayer'.