Your Own Life

I'm not sure where I came across this piece. There are a number of variations on this story, but it is and interesting story and illustration.

The all important ingredient is focus and an attitude of trust in the Lord. The following is one of the best illustrations I know of the importance of keeping a focused and right attitude:

The colorful, nineteenth-century showman and gifted violinist Nicolo Paganini was standing before a packed house, playing through a difficult piece of music. A full orchestra surrounded him with magnificent support. Suddenly one string on his violin snapped and hung gloriously down from his instrument. Beads of perspiration popped out on his forehead. He frowned but continued to play, improvising beautifully.

To the conductor’s surprise, a second string broke. And shortly thereafter, a third. Now there were three limp strings dangling from Paganini’s violin as the master performer completed the difficult composition on the one remaining string. The audience jumped to its feet and in good Italian fashion, filled the hall with shouts and screams, “Bravo! Bravo!” As the applause died down, the violinist asked the people to sit back down. Even though they knew there was no way they could expect an encore, they quietly sank back into their seats.

He held the violin high for everyone to see. He nodded at the conductor to begin the encore and then he turned back to the crowd, and with a twinkle in his eye, he smiled and shouted, “Paganini . . . and one string!” After that he placed the single-stringed Stradivarius beneath his chin and played the final piece on one string as the audience (and the conductor) shook their heads in silent amazement. “Paganini . . . and one string!”

We don't all have the talent of Paganini, or of Paul, or Peter, we do all have our own talents and abilities. For the last three years I have been dabbling at developing a new card game. Quite a few years ago we were friends with an older couple. They enjoyed playing games, but would never play a game of cards. Their explanation was, 'if you knew the history behind card games, you wouldn't play them.' 

I grew up playing Canasta, Go Fish, Concentration, Old Maid, Solitaire...all with a deck of cards and never felt impelled to do anything sinful because of the cards. I have begun researching the history of cards, but haven't—as of yet—come across anything that would connect them with the committing of wickedness per se. I know there are games you can play with cards that are sinful and wicked, but that seems to hinge on the game itself and not necessarily the cards. So, back to my new game. I like to win at a game. I do try to lose gracefully, but winning is what I like.  

So, after losing quite a few rounds at a game of chance, I thought to myself, now this is a game of chance. You shuffle the cards, lay them out, and there is an element of skill here, but at some point if the cards don't fall your way you lose—kinda like the cat gets the game. What if I turned this into a more skillful game? What if I take away the reality of the cat getting the game, and with the right rules and techniques make it mandatory that you win? 

What would the reason be behind this game? 

• The encouragement to see the game in the big picture. To look at the whole board and analyze what is there. 
• Think outside of the normal way of business as usual
• To use resources to get your life in focus

These are only some of the goals. As I was working with my new game, however, I realized sometimes the round is easy. All the cards seem to fall into the right order. Then there are other rounds that get ugly, and yes you can and do win, but they are just plain ugly. 

It was during the laying out of one of these gonna be ugly rounds, that as I'm looking at my board, I thought, you know, life is like this. Some people have lives that go smooth. Yes, they do have some issues, but nothing difficult. Then there are other people, other lives that it is one fight after another for them. It might be sickness, finances, loss of family or friends, but it gets ugly and there isn't any easy way out. Most lives are a mix, and sometimes if we'd pay better attention it would go smoother. 

The next thought I had was 'Sometimes it would be lovely if we could all have those smooth kind of lives, but of course we have to live the life we're give—just like playing the hand, or the round, or the game we are given. We each have to live our own life. We may  wish for an easier road to walk, but like I've told my children, what you've got is what you've got. Sometimes they weren't real happy with that, but truth is truth. Like the saying goes, 

"I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future."

"Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13 ASV)

Hallelujah! What a Savior!