Could it be that we...
Illustration
Could it be that we have placed the wrong emphasis by spending much time and effort in "getting right with the Lord?" At some point Jesus calls us to forget about ourselves: "whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it (v. 24)."
Once I saw a television program with a group of composers who were "the" composers of the 40s and 50s. If you could name almost any truly popular tune, you would have probably named one of the tunes these men wrote. There was not enough time for each of them to play on the piano all their hits, just a small part of the tune. Each time a recognizable tune was played, the appreciative audience would applaud. I would guess that most of us would be happy just to be among these songwriters. However as the camera showed the writer of a song and then the writers of other songs it was obvious that some of these composers resented the time and applause given to other composers. How sad that these men were not content, even proud, to share the program with others.
Hans Christian Andersen was asked by the kings of Prussia and Saxony to read his tales. Mendelssohn told him, "No one reads fairy tales like you." Andersen in the last century knew such people as Liszt, Dumas, Heine, and Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, in addition to royalty. Yet Andersen wrote in his diary, "My need to be noticed is so great." Whenever he was honored, Andersen would note who was not present. He went to visit Dickens and one night Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, King of the Belgians, were there. Andersen was hurt that Dickens received attention.
--Richardson
Once I saw a television program with a group of composers who were "the" composers of the 40s and 50s. If you could name almost any truly popular tune, you would have probably named one of the tunes these men wrote. There was not enough time for each of them to play on the piano all their hits, just a small part of the tune. Each time a recognizable tune was played, the appreciative audience would applaud. I would guess that most of us would be happy just to be among these songwriters. However as the camera showed the writer of a song and then the writers of other songs it was obvious that some of these composers resented the time and applause given to other composers. How sad that these men were not content, even proud, to share the program with others.
Hans Christian Andersen was asked by the kings of Prussia and Saxony to read his tales. Mendelssohn told him, "No one reads fairy tales like you." Andersen in the last century knew such people as Liszt, Dumas, Heine, and Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, in addition to royalty. Yet Andersen wrote in his diary, "My need to be noticed is so great." Whenever he was honored, Andersen would note who was not present. He went to visit Dickens and one night Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, King of the Belgians, were there. Andersen was hurt that Dickens received attention.
--Richardson
