Today's Daily Encounter 30th November 2022

Today's Daily Encounter 30th November 2022

Doing the Best with What You Have  

"Then the LORD said to him [Moses], 'What is that in
your hand?'"1

The following story appeared in The Houston Chronicle.
I have since learned that this is reported to be an
urban legend and may not be true. However, as a parable
it has a message in that all of us need to do the best
we can with what we have.

On November 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist,
performed a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln
Center in New York City. Itzhak was stricken with polio
as a child; has braces on both legs and has to use two
crutches to help him walk, so it is quite a chore for
him to come onto any stage.

Barely had he started his concert when one of the
strings on his violin broke. The snap was so loud,
there was no mistake among the audience as to what
happened. Instead of the arduous task of leaving the
stage to change the broken string or get another
violin, Itzhak "waited a moment, closed his eyes and
then signaled the conductor to begin again. The
orchestra began, and he played from where he had left
off. And he played with such passion and such power and
such purity as they had never heard before. Of course,
anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic
work with just three strings. I know that, and you know
that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know
that. You could see him modulating, changing, and
recomposing the piece in his head….

"When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the
room. And then people rose and cheered. There was an
extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of
the auditorium. We were all on our feet, screaming and
cheering; doing everything we could to show how much we
appreciated what he had done. He smiled, wiped the
sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and
then he said, not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive,
reverent tone, 'You know, sometimes it is the artist's
task to find out how much music you can still make with
what you have left.'"2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to give
life my best shot with what I have and use it to the
best of my ability for your glory--and not worry about
what I don't have. Thank you for hearing and answering
my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1.  Exodus 4:2 (NIV).
2.  Jack Riemer, The Houston Chronicle.

 Today's Encounter was written by: Richard Innes.     
 
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