When I was ten years old my parents decided to have me start taking violin lessons. It quickly became my favorite instrument, and Tuesday (violin day) was my favorite day of the week.
Violins have a tendency to go out of tune every week and my tiny violin took that tendency to the next level. This made it difficult to practice sometimes because I had to wait until my lesson for my teacher to tune it.
One week it was pretty bad, so I asked my dad to help me fix it. Tuning a violin can be tricky. If you wind the string too tight it will SNAP! Sure enough, in about five minutes we'd broken a string.
My teacher fixed it after we promised to let him do the tuning until he had taught me how to tune for myself.
Some time later I brought my violin to the church. I had learned several hymns and was asked to play a special. However, when I started to play, I realized about 2 measures in, that my violin was horribly out of tune. You couldn't even recognize Amazing Grace. I returned to my seat holding back tears. Then my dad (who thought it was nerves) whispered, "Try it one more time.". So I played it again and it was just as bad.
Later, much later, I still laugh thinking about that day. My dad has used the story several times to explain how our heart needs to be in tune with God before he can use us.
Now, I tune my violin several times every day. We need to constantly check to make sure we're "in tune" with God. That's why it's so important to read your Bible and talk to God every day. Think of it as your daily tune-up.
Another thing I do every day is to thoroughly clean my violin. We need to take the time to search our hearts and confess our sin. If we let it build up it separates us from God and becomes harder and harder to remove. Just like the rosin that will accumulate on a violin that isn't cleaned.
There's one more comparison I'd like to make.
You will ALWAYS make mistakes!
None of us have reached the point where we don't sin anymore. We still have a sin nature that we constantly have to war with.
Here's the good news, you don't have to give up. Just keep growing and learning from your mistakes. God knows that we will stumble. He forgives us and helps us get up again. He is our teacher. He is patient, and He'll always be there when we call for help.
Psalm 149:1 - "Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of the saints."
Singing His Praises,
Abigail Beatty
Violins have a tendency to go out of tune every week and my tiny violin took that tendency to the next level. This made it difficult to practice sometimes because I had to wait until my lesson for my teacher to tune it.
One week it was pretty bad, so I asked my dad to help me fix it. Tuning a violin can be tricky. If you wind the string too tight it will SNAP! Sure enough, in about five minutes we'd broken a string.
My teacher fixed it after we promised to let him do the tuning until he had taught me how to tune for myself.
Some time later I brought my violin to the church. I had learned several hymns and was asked to play a special. However, when I started to play, I realized about 2 measures in, that my violin was horribly out of tune. You couldn't even recognize Amazing Grace. I returned to my seat holding back tears. Then my dad (who thought it was nerves) whispered, "Try it one more time.". So I played it again and it was just as bad.
Later, much later, I still laugh thinking about that day. My dad has used the story several times to explain how our heart needs to be in tune with God before he can use us.
Now, I tune my violin several times every day. We need to constantly check to make sure we're "in tune" with God. That's why it's so important to read your Bible and talk to God every day. Think of it as your daily tune-up.
Another thing I do every day is to thoroughly clean my violin. We need to take the time to search our hearts and confess our sin. If we let it build up it separates us from God and becomes harder and harder to remove. Just like the rosin that will accumulate on a violin that isn't cleaned.
There's one more comparison I'd like to make.
You will ALWAYS make mistakes!
None of us have reached the point where we don't sin anymore. We still have a sin nature that we constantly have to war with.
Here's the good news, you don't have to give up. Just keep growing and learning from your mistakes. God knows that we will stumble. He forgives us and helps us get up again. He is our teacher. He is patient, and He'll always be there when we call for help.
Psalm 149:1 - "Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of the saints."
Singing His Praises,
Abigail Beatty