God Lifts

I went to church this morning.  We had a visiting pastor from Sweden. Though his English was very broken, and he would stop every once in a while to figure out the corresponding English word that would express his thought best, his passion and love for God was so infectious, I couldn't help but believe what he was saying.  His message was from Ezekiel, talking about how God lifts people up from seemingly dead circumstances.  One of the stories he told was of an old gypsy violinist who went to a music store to buy a new violin.  Though he spent an hour testing and looking, he could not find the new violin with the right sound.  The pastor went on to say, that the old gypsy had to use the bathroom, and the only one available was an outhouse behind the shoppe.  He also explained that in Europe, people used to have a pile behind their homes where they would put junk, old furniture, etc. and burn them.  So, the old gypsy walks out back and happens to see, on top of the mound of ash, an old violin, with only one string.  Curious, he picked up the violin, and put it under his chin, and began to play.  The music from that discarded violin with one string was so beautiful, in the hands of such a master musician, that people began gathering around.  The gypsy, himself, was so enthralled with the beauty of the music, it took him, mentally, away.  When he finished, he opened his eyes, to the crowd who had gathered to appreciate the beautiful music. 

The lesson: God does the same thing.  He can pick you up from whatever ash heap you are sprawled on, gather you, regardless of the holes, lack of strings, take you into His arms, and produce beautiful music through you.  This was helpful to me because I have always hoped God would go looking for you, but some of the teachings, or maybe it's the way they've been taught, make it seem that, yes, God is there but you have to seek Him out.  But, if you're lying on top of a pile of ash, you're too broken to go looking.  Just like someone in addiction, may be too broken mentally or physically, to go looking or even KNOW what to look for.  The supernatural healing of God is where the miracles come.  And so, when God walks by, and looks down and sees a broken soul, and tells them to, "Live," the prayer is answered.

I paraphrased a much longer and more eloquent story, but as I was listening, tears were beginning to blossom in my eyes, and I became choked up.  I thought of my daughter, and everyone else's daughters and sons and loved ones who have been thrown upon a pile of ash by addiction.  Broken, disheartened, hopeless and lost.  My heart ached.  I prayed for all of us trying to clean off the ashes and those still buried or covered in ashes that God walks by, today, lifts them up and begins to play the beautiful melody of their lives that addiction has silenced.  May God pour blessings on each and everyone one of you.  Amen.