Creating a Masterpiece!

                                                  

    It was a hot summer’s day. We had been in town since early in the morning for Al’s ankle therapy, which was scheduled at 8:00 a.m. Afterwards we drove to the lab to have blood drawn for our yearly physicals, then went to a restaurant for brunch. That tasted great—a nice way to end the required time of fasting for the lab work.

     Next came the cleaners, shopping and the car dealership. Finally, a quick stop at a friend’s house and an Ag supply store to make an exchange completed the “to do” list. We were done around noon and were ready for a nap. Whew!

    A piano concerto by Beethoven was playing on the satellite radio as we drove home. Usually Al makes a comment like, “Oh, you should learn this one!” while listening to a classical piece featuring the piano, which is very funny. I’m still just a few steps beyond “Chopsticks,” even after taking keyboard lessons since retiring from teaching in 2004. Anything with two hands had better be easy.  

     This time, Al conceded that the Beethoven piece might be a “little difficult” to learn. That piano concerto was far beyond my skill level.  It was enjoyable to hear on the radio though, leaving me with a great admiration for the pianist and an even greater appreciation for Beethoven.  Not only would the piano concerto be hard to play, it would be difficult to compose in the first place. How did he do it, along with so many other great symphonies, concertos and even operas?

     Beethoven’s alcoholic father wanted him to become a child protegee like Mozart, who was just a few years older. Ludwig was beaten and sometimes locked into the basement when his father thought he wasn’t trying hard enough. In spite of the abuse as a child, he went on to study music, becoming an accomplished pianist and composer.  Some of his greatest works were written near the end of his life when he was completely deaf. It’s hard to imagine! What a wonderful gift he had…and what a blessing to so many generations of people who have followed him.

     Ending our busy morning with Beethoven’s amazing music reminded me of the way God orchestrates the details in our lives when we are living for Him. When the greater part of the day is spent running around doing errands, when there are delays and we seem to be overbooked, when the going is rough or obstacles are in the way, He can bring peace of mind and order to our steps.

      If Beethoven could produce such lovely music, just think what God can do in our lives when we let Him orchestrate all of the details. A beautiful, enduring masterpiece will be the result!

      Thank you, dear Father, for this new day, for being in control of every situation and for orchestrating each detail of our lives into a masterpiece which brings you glory and praise. Thank you for your great love. May our response be to love you wholeheartedly in return and to always serve you with joy.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“For in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28a NIV

(published in the Porterville Recorder, June 2014)