Over the last six years, I have presented Rachel's Challenge hundreds of times. During the closing video of the presentation, the song Hands by Jewel is playing in the background. My favorite line in that song says, "Where there is a man who has no voice, there ours shall go singing." In Proverbs 31:8 the author writes, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves." I had an important reminder of the power of those words this week.
Music has always been a part of my life. I grew up hearing my grandfather's bands practicing in the basement. Though I rarely got to see them perform, I knew all the songs. I performed in church and school productions, played trumpet in the band, and had a lead in my high school musical. As a youth pastor I learned to pound out chords on a piano and guitar. I led worship in church and at camp. Over the years I've written my own music and performed in venues from minor league ballparks to churches, cafes, and wineries. Even played for a backyard party once.
Without a doubt, the most rewarding experiences I've had with music have come in the last few months. I've been frequenting a few area nursing homes, sometimes performing for a group, sometimes walking around to visit patients in their rooms. Typically these are people who rarely, if ever, leave their beds, so we bring the music to them. Usually, if the person is able to speak, I'll ask what type of music they enjoy and try to do what they love. I've played and sung everything from Elvis, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Hank Williams and Van Morrison to Garth Brooks, Ed Sheeran, and the Fray. Sometimes I'll play a hymn if that's what they ask for. It's often a very moving experience, but nothing tops the experience I had this week.
The last two people we visited reminded me exactly why I do it. One, I was told, was a retired pastor. He was sleeping as I began to sing Amazing Grace quietly by his bed. On the last line of the third verse, he opened his eyes and (since he doesn't speak very much) he gave me to big "Okay" symbols with his hands. When I'd finished, we were about to leave when he started playing air guitar, indicating he wanted me to play another song. I sang Casting Crowns' Glorious Day. He smiled, kept giving me the okay sign, and even lifted his hands in worship. It was an incredible experience for us both.
The last visit of the day was a woman I'd not met before. She was middle-aged, and had a tablet she would use to communicate simple requests, as she was unable to say anything at all. I found out later that she is in the end stages of a hereditary degenerative disease that will very soon claim her life. Apparently the last few months had been especially hard for her. I began with Amazing Grace, and almost instantly you could see her face light up. We locked eyes, and though she could not speak, I knew she was connecting with what I was singing. Finally, I played I Can Only Imagine. A woman, for whom the words I was singing would soon be a reality, gradually began to mouth the words as I sang them. It was beautiful. It was something I will never, ever forget.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because before I was ever born, God knit me together in my mother's womb. He gave me a unique set of gifts and abilities. The choice I have to make is whether I use them for my own glory, or for His. Do I use them to serve others, or only to serve myself?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing those who have used their talents to become wealthy. Far from it. We can earn a very comfortable living for ourselves and still serve others in the process. I don't play in nursing homes because it's going to make me rich financially. I do it because I can. Because God has blessed me with gifts and abilities so that in turn I can bless others...and in that, I am blessed beyond compare. No sold-out arena full of adoring fans would ever make me feel the way I did when a terminally-ill woman mouthed, "I can only imagine when all I will do is forever, forever worship You."
What gifts and abilities do you have? I hope they have allowed you to provide for yourself and your family, to get ahead in this life. But more than that, I hope they provide you with ample opportunities to bless others. Handy with cars? Maybe help out that single mom next door by changing her oil or doing her brakes. Got a new snowblower for your birthday? Maybe do the elderly neighbor's drive after you do your own. You get my point. We all have something to offer this world. Sometimes we just need to look around and we will see opportunities to make the world a better place, simply by doing what we already know and love. In going out of our way to serve others, we will earn riches beyond anything we could ever imagine. I know I have.
Music has always been a part of my life. I grew up hearing my grandfather's bands practicing in the basement. Though I rarely got to see them perform, I knew all the songs. I performed in church and school productions, played trumpet in the band, and had a lead in my high school musical. As a youth pastor I learned to pound out chords on a piano and guitar. I led worship in church and at camp. Over the years I've written my own music and performed in venues from minor league ballparks to churches, cafes, and wineries. Even played for a backyard party once.
Without a doubt, the most rewarding experiences I've had with music have come in the last few months. I've been frequenting a few area nursing homes, sometimes performing for a group, sometimes walking around to visit patients in their rooms. Typically these are people who rarely, if ever, leave their beds, so we bring the music to them. Usually, if the person is able to speak, I'll ask what type of music they enjoy and try to do what they love. I've played and sung everything from Elvis, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Hank Williams and Van Morrison to Garth Brooks, Ed Sheeran, and the Fray. Sometimes I'll play a hymn if that's what they ask for. It's often a very moving experience, but nothing tops the experience I had this week.
The last two people we visited reminded me exactly why I do it. One, I was told, was a retired pastor. He was sleeping as I began to sing Amazing Grace quietly by his bed. On the last line of the third verse, he opened his eyes and (since he doesn't speak very much) he gave me to big "Okay" symbols with his hands. When I'd finished, we were about to leave when he started playing air guitar, indicating he wanted me to play another song. I sang Casting Crowns' Glorious Day. He smiled, kept giving me the okay sign, and even lifted his hands in worship. It was an incredible experience for us both.
The last visit of the day was a woman I'd not met before. She was middle-aged, and had a tablet she would use to communicate simple requests, as she was unable to say anything at all. I found out later that she is in the end stages of a hereditary degenerative disease that will very soon claim her life. Apparently the last few months had been especially hard for her. I began with Amazing Grace, and almost instantly you could see her face light up. We locked eyes, and though she could not speak, I knew she was connecting with what I was singing. Finally, I played I Can Only Imagine. A woman, for whom the words I was singing would soon be a reality, gradually began to mouth the words as I sang them. It was beautiful. It was something I will never, ever forget.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because before I was ever born, God knit me together in my mother's womb. He gave me a unique set of gifts and abilities. The choice I have to make is whether I use them for my own glory, or for His. Do I use them to serve others, or only to serve myself?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing those who have used their talents to become wealthy. Far from it. We can earn a very comfortable living for ourselves and still serve others in the process. I don't play in nursing homes because it's going to make me rich financially. I do it because I can. Because God has blessed me with gifts and abilities so that in turn I can bless others...and in that, I am blessed beyond compare. No sold-out arena full of adoring fans would ever make me feel the way I did when a terminally-ill woman mouthed, "I can only imagine when all I will do is forever, forever worship You."
What gifts and abilities do you have? I hope they have allowed you to provide for yourself and your family, to get ahead in this life. But more than that, I hope they provide you with ample opportunities to bless others. Handy with cars? Maybe help out that single mom next door by changing her oil or doing her brakes. Got a new snowblower for your birthday? Maybe do the elderly neighbor's drive after you do your own. You get my point. We all have something to offer this world. Sometimes we just need to look around and we will see opportunities to make the world a better place, simply by doing what we already know and love. In going out of our way to serve others, we will earn riches beyond anything we could ever imagine. I know I have.
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