stop & ponder.

Psalm 46:10  "Be still, and know that I am God”

It was a cold January morning at a Metro Station in Washington DC in 2007.  Over a thousand people passed through that station that particular morning in the midst of their commute which they did by foot and public transportation.  Most did not even notice the man playing the violin near one of the doors[1].


The man played his most exquisite six classical pieces for the next 43 minutes.  The musician played continuously.  Only seven people stopped and listened for a short while. Every child that passed was intrigued by the sound that came out, but the parents would shove them along.  About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. One man listened for nine minutes.  Only one woman recognized the man playing the instrument.  The man collected a total of $32 and change. 


No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, he played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.  As was reported in the Washington Post, Bell was a onetime child prodigy and has arrived as an internationally acclaimed virtuoso. He packs music halls where a mediocre seat would draw $100 each.  He would play to a standing-room-only audience so respectful of his artistry that they stifled their coughs until the silence between movements. But on that Friday in January, Joshua Bell was just another mendicant, competing for the attention of busy people on their way to work.[2]”


This was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.  You see, as accomplished as Joshua Bell is and though he is technically magnificent and can play a violin that moves people, they are still focused on the rigors of their life that they don’t stop to understand the magnificent things that enter their life.  This little experiment raised several questions:  How do we perceive something great?  How do we perceive beauty?  And do we ever stop to appreciate it?  Do we recognize greatness out of context? 

One person commenting on this wrote:  “If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?[3]"


Here is the lesson for today:  After reading this I couldn’t help but apply this to the Christian life.  How often in the Christian life do we come into and out of church without stopping to ponder the magnificence of the service?  Do we sit in the pews EXPECTING to meet Christ?  Are we prepared to be in the awesome presence of God?  We need to be still and worship the ONE TRUE God.

[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html By Gene Weingarten,Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, April 8, 2007
[2] Washington Post
[3] http://www.facebook.com/WeddingLiveBandTheRawNote