Since I was very young, music has always had an important place in my life. From watching my great aunt play the piano as a young child to becoming a pianist myself, music has brought much joy and happiness in my life. There is nothing that compares to sitting down to play after a long day.
Although I do enjoy playing the piano, I must do the hard work before I can enjoy it. Just as playing the piano brings me joy, many times, it has also brought tears. Anyone who has played a musical instrument knows what I mean—the stress of not getting down a piece, the frustration of hitting the wrong note for the hundredth time, and, not to mention, the grueling hours spent in learning a two-minute piece! There have been times when I got so focused on the frustrating part that I forgot the amazing satisfaction obtained from playing that piece without a mistake.
This reminds me of Martha in the Bible. She hustled and bustled in the kitchen to make sure everything was perfect for Jesus. On any other day, she most likely loved being in the kitchen, cooking and cleaning. She probably thrived on seeing her guests happy and satisfied, thus feeling satisfied herself.
The Bible says in Luke 10:40, But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. Martha was cumbered, meaning burdened down. She most likely loved serving, but she lost sight of how amazing it was to serve the Saviour! She had grown tired of the thing she loved. She allowed the little things to blur her vision of the big picture.
As ladies, we are natural multitaskers. We can manage so many different things at once. If we are not careful, what we love most (being a wife, mom, employee, etc.) will become a burden to us.
Think of life as being a song. You are sitting at the piano of life, beginning to play and start life’s journey. You will hit some minor chords that may not sound melodious, and your fingers might slip onto a wrong key here and there. After a while, you are ready to quit! The lessons are getting harder, and playing is taking all of your time. There are so many flats and accidentals throughout this piece. Those minor chords seem to be more dominant, giving the song an ominous ring—but wait! Here comes the great Piano Teacher! He sits beside you and begins to play your song with you. Now, those flats and accidentals make a beautiful, graceful ring. He continues to play next to you, and you notice that there are several major chords you were missing because you were focusing on the minors instead. The song that you thought was a disaster, God has made into a glorious masterpiece! You now understand that as long as God is playing the song of your life with you, it will sound beautiful. You will be able to enjoy playing life’s song.
Let us not get burdened down with something we love and forget why we do it! We are to serve the risen Saviour, Who truly is the Source of our song!
by Jessica Jackson
