Stop and hear the music.

A story I was first introduced to this past Christmas break when I was in Vancouver resonates in my heart again at this hour. I'd like to share it with you all:

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 thousands of 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 a 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 case and without stopping 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. 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 to catch a glimpse of the violinist. 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 7 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 27 out of 1,097 passing travelers 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 world-renowned violinist in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and 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 banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Like the passing people in the metro station who were too busy to stop and appreciate the beauty of Joshua Bell's intricate, renowned music, so too are we always too busy to stop and be in awe of the beauty of Christ Jesus.

God shows us his love and his beauty in so many different ways, at so many different times through people or through nature. But how many times do we really see this? How many times do we actually stop to notice what He has so intentionally placed here on earth for us to see and enjoy. His gifts of love are sadly ignored in most cases.

We miss it all the time. We're too busy. Too preoccupied. With what? What really are we more interested in and captivated by? How did we become so unaware and desensitized to such true beauty? Or why do we allow ourselves to be so easily distracted and led astray by other things in our life--good or bad? Why do we always let our enemy win?

This story shows a child stopping to appreciate the music played by Joshua Bell. How pure the child's heart is to simply take in the beauty for what it's worth. God calls us to have childlike hearts like this--straightforward and trusting with a sense of wonder. That we may see His beauty. His truth. His love <3

"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." -Mark 10:13-16


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html