Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Humility Objectified

"The conductor Leonard Bernstein was once asked, 'What is the most difficult instrument to play?'

'Second Violin,' he replied, 'Because everyone wants to be first violinist.'

Of course the first violin gets to play more interesting parts and commands more attention. But as Bernstein went on to explain,

'It's hard to find someone who wants to play second violin and to do so with the same enthusiasm. But without the second violin, there is no harmony.' "

-- Matt Redman
in The Heart of Worship

So it is with all of life. It's hard to find someone who wants to take a secondary task and do so with the same enthusiasm. "But without the second violin, there is no harmony."


4 comments:

  1. That's a really great analogy. And I can say that it's 100% true.

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  2. ^truth.

    There's this cool song... I can't remember what it's called. But the chorus is basically "God don't play second fiddle!" ;-)

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  3. Dunvegan HighlanderSun Sep 27, 08:59:00 PM

    Hey, Christina!
    Lovely and true. Every little, or seemingly insignificant roll is truely important. :-)

    @ Grace: Interesting thought, Grace. I think that applies to us directly, as his children. We need to be his backup, not his lead. Often, one might find himself trying to put God in a box, ("God ain't gonna stay in the little box I put him in."-Wayne Watson), and attempting to take the lead, instead of letting God be who he is, and submitting to being his second. Like the second violinist, we ought to let God take the lead roll, but do what he has given us to do with enthusiasm.
    Hey, we are supposed to be earthly mirrors of him, no? Sounds kinda like harmony to me. ;-)

    -Nathan H.

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