One frosty January morning, a gentleman began to perform an intricate set of pieces by Bach on his violin, on the side of a bustling metro station corner. Thousands of people passed by him in that forty five minutes, but few stopped. While a few paused in their hustle to drop a few pennies in his bucket, ironically only the children passing by seemed really interested. With eyes wide with amazement, they would stop dead in their tracks to stare at the gentleman, until their mothers impatiently forced them to keep walking. In the forty five minutes that he performed, he had only acquired $32 in his bucket. Clearly he had not been appreciated. Who was the gentleman? He was none other than world renowned violinist Joseph Bell, who had just performed on a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Only two nights prior to this event, thousands had come from all over the world to see him perform, paying more than $100 per ticket.
My pastor had told us this story only a few weeks ago. To me, this story really hits home. So often, we miss the incredible gift God has freely given to us, simply because it lacks glamour. Jesus came humbly to earth. He didn’t come in a blaze of triumph and splendour, to rescue the Jews from Roman oppression, and seat himself on a throne of gold, as they had hoped. Instead, he humbled himself, choosing to be born in a lowly manger. There was no one to announce his birth except a few shepherds. Jesus knew that not everyone would accept following a king who came so humbly. Jesus simply asks us to have a personal relationship with Him. All he wants of us is to give our all to Him, trusting that He is in control.
Following Jesus is not always going to be exciting or glamorous. We don’t need to go overseas, witnessing to the lost and oppressed, in order to encounter Jesus love and redemption in a radical way. One thing I’ve learned is that it seems to be the everyday, mundane chores that we do, that really test our faith, but give us an opportunity to shine for Jesus.
I nearly missed this. Going to work everyday, it was rather easy to focus all my attention on those I thought I could really make an impact on. Based upon his reputation, I persistently ignored and avoided one of my coworkers, believing that I could never influence him in a good way. Unbeknownst to me, he had been watching the way I behave around the customers and the other staff. One day he surprised me by asking, “So you don’t drink or smoke?” I responded by telling him that I didn’t, to which he replied by saying, ” You are the first person I have met in Canada who does not drink or smoke.” He then peppered me with questions about my faith, my beliefs, and my church family. This honestly shocked me. I had thought that I could never witness to this guy.
Jesus showed me that no matter what my thoughts are, we need to share Him with those around us, even if it is simply by showing Jesus love through our actions. We never know who is searching. I may not be going on any grand adventures this year to share the gospel, but Jesus in himself is exciting, and has got big plans to change me no matter where I am or what I’m doing. Let’s not miss the incredible gift that’s right under our noses.
