Last month, the following story was circulating around the internet:
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real 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 priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
Daleen and I are working through a book, Practicing the Way of Jesus by Mark Scandrette, with a small group of people from Thirdway Church. As we’ve engaged both individual and corporate spiritual practices, I’ve noticed that these practices serve us in much the same way as the children in this story. Under the direction of the Spirit, our spiritual practices tug at us to slow down, to listen, to pay attention, and to stay awhile. They beg for us to linger in the presence of God, to notice what He is up to, both in our lives and in the world around us. The Spirit is constantly bidding us to live in tune with the music of God’s kingdom.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real 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 priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
Daleen and I are working through a book, Practicing the Way of Jesus by Mark Scandrette, with a small group of people from Thirdway Church. As we’ve engaged both individual and corporate spiritual practices, I’ve noticed that these practices serve us in much the same way as the children in this story. Under the direction of the Spirit, our spiritual practices tug at us to slow down, to listen, to pay attention, and to stay awhile. They beg for us to linger in the presence of God, to notice what He is up to, both in our lives and in the world around us. The Spirit is constantly bidding us to live in tune with the music of God’s kingdom.
Throughout this Lenten season, God has been wooing me to savor my time with Him and with others. Woody Allen once said, “80% of success is just showing up.” I sense that there is some truth in this as I pursue greater depth in my relationship with God. In the busyness of life, I find that it takes some creativity, and attentiveness, to make space where I can linger in His presence and quiet myself before Him. Often this doesn’t come in huge blocks of time where I can sit alone in solitude, but rather in the ordinary and everyday routines of life.
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