Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Is God With Us?

Someone recently shared an email with me that had this message (I checked it out and it IS a true story):
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"Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later:
the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?"
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If you are like me, there is a real temptation to think God isn't at work in our everyday lives. Frankly, there are days when I think, "I don't see God with me." If the above experiment holds a lesson we can translate to our walk with God it may be that He is more present that we can possibly imagine. Present like, "right in front of our faces" and yet we miss Him. Maybe it's religion that sends us to church expecting to "see Him" but in the everyday we disregard Him.

I am coming to believe I have a perception problem. That fact that I "don't see God" in the everyday of my life is not a "God problem" its a "John problem." Like the beauty of the music played and the masterful musician playing it, because it is not perceived does not diminish for one minute the empirical truth that what is occurring is extraordinary.

Because "I" have a sight problem, doesn't diminish our ever present God of the Universe one iota. HE IS WITH US. May we start seeing with the eyes of the children who were struck by the violinist. Kids see Him more than us adults, I am convinced. Time to pay attention and sharpen my perceptions.

john

2 comments:

  1. I am so thankful to you for sharing this story, and for interpreting the way that you have. It's not easy for me to find ways to share Jesus with the nonbelievers that surround my life, but this may be something that will serve the purpose. Thanks!

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