The Old Fiddle

My husband and I are the honored guardians of a family heirloom: my father in law's violin. We have had it for many years and displayed it on our wall on a violin rack made by a friend. On two occasions we have had it repaired. It has been played now and then by friends and more recently by curious grandchildren. It has again fallen into disrepair so we recently took it to a very respected music store for repair again. I called the luthier to discuss the needed repairs.

The tail piece on the violin is very pretty with inlaid pearl but it has fallen off and is not in good shape anymore. A couple of the stones in the design are missing. The bridge that was put on at some point is the wrong size. The neck is worn away into a groove at the first position which indicates that it was probably played as a fiddle not a violin. The pegs are wobbly but can be fixed with some peg dope and good tuning. It needs new strings. The bow has been mistreated and bent so we need to replace it. There are many other minor things gone wrong with the whole instrument. The bottom line is that despite all the worn out things and the broken things the instrument CAN be repaired and will be playable. A couple of grandkids seem interested in playing so hopefully we will hear some beautiful notes coming from "Dad's old fiddle." Perhaps this time it will be played as a classical violin or maybe someone will keep using it as a fiddle.

How much we are like that old violin. We value the violin passed down by my father in law but God values us as living created souls even more. We have to redeem the instrument again from the repair work again and the price is not cheap. We want to keep the violin so we will pay the price. In our sinful condition we are like the violin, useless and undesireable. But God loved us so much that He was willing to pay the price to redeem us and change us. He sent His only Son, The Lord Jesus Christ to keep us from certain destruction. The work that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross of Calvary was powerful to cleanse us and make us new and worthy to be in God's presence. God says we are not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold but with the precious blood of The Lord Jesus Christ.

The violin was unplayable when we turned it over to the repair shop. The neck will be sanded and leveld. The bridge will be replaced and refitted. The end piece will be replaced and reinstalled and will have fine tuners on it. The strings will be firm, tight and the correct gague for the notes to sing out in tune when they are stroked by the bow.

In it's disrepair the violin cannot produce music. It is useless to us in it's broken condition. Before we submit to the hand of God by accepting the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ we have no beauty in us nor can beauty come from us. When we become God's child by trusting in the work of The Lord Jesus Christ to redeem us we become new creatures in Christ. Old things pass away and we are changed into an instrument that God can use for His glory. Our souls are repaired from the brokeness of sin.

We have had to have our violin repaired again and again. Sometimes as believers we live our lives in such a way that we become worn and broken. God can replace and repair those broken areas in our lives by the application of His Word and the healing of The Holy Spirit. A life of bad habits wears and shapes us just as the neck of the violin becomes grooved through constant playing. God can remove the grooves and make us smooth and straight again. When we read God's Word it becomes like a plane to smooth out areas of our life that are grooved too deeply by misuse. Like the violin receives new strength of sound from new strings, God will give us new strength for each day through the daily reading of His Word and our communion in prayer with Him. Every little part of us is known to our Creator and He can make each part fit perfectly into His design for our lives.

God loves us much more than we love a material thing like Dad's old violin/fiddle. When we pick up our repaired instrument from the shop it will once again play beautiful music at the hand of a skilled musician. When I look at it I will be reminded of how God has loved me, redeemed me and repaired my broken life. I hope I will be a willing instrument for Him to bring glory and honor to Him through the song of my life.

Special License

I hung up the shirt I was going to try on at the store because my daughter asked me to come to her house. She was on the way to the doc's with a sick child and wanted me to let the other kids in after school. It is a pretty fair jaunt down some expressways to get there so I paid for one item and was on my way. My driving confidence has waned in my senior years so I was somewhat nervous about getting there at this particular time of day. What if I didn't get there in time? I had missed lunch and I was looking for a drive through for something quick to eat. I didn't want to get shaky.

The first thing that happened was - I should say the first thing that didn't happen were red lights. There were few to none. Once I got on the expressways I noticed that the traffic was fairly light just then. Just after I merged unto The Jeffries at Malfunction Junction I saw a car zooming along on the left. The license plate read: PHIL413. OH, "thinks me, "cool verse on license plate, should have been my plate ID," and "maybe that guy is a Christian."

I started to muse on the verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Then I thought how nice the traffic was so light. I wasn't feeling nervous. I was zooming along with the big guys instead of driving like a little ole lady in the right lane. I was hungry but not shaky. My memory cells kicked in with a message that there was a Mickey D's on the right just past the exit I would take off the expressway.

Then it hit me: GOD was strengthening me just then. He reminded me of His presence when I saw that verse. Thankfully, I didn't tear up (so I couldn't see) but I was filled with emotion as I realized and sensed God sitting there beside me right then and there. He was ahead of me clearing the way. He had been the traffic manager at the traffic lights turning them green. Even when I learned Philippians 4:13 many years ago God knew He would use that verse to make me strong just at that very moment in time. (He used it before and will use it again.) He had given me the calm when normally I would be nervous. When I got to the drive through there was no wait.

When I went inside my daughter's home I was still calm but still thrilled with the realization of God's obvious strength and presence. I ate my burger and drank my senior coffee before the kids burst through the door.

God is present and He is strong. He knows all about me and He provides richly beyond my hopes. Read Philippians 4:13 for yourself.