Barbara was both amazed and...
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Barbara was both amazed and terrified. For most of her life she had wanted to be able to play the piano. Now, in her mid-40s, after a year of study and hard work, she faced giving a recital. It wasn't something she had to do in the sense that her teacher required it. It was something she had to do in appreciation for the creative gift of music and the deep desire to develop it which could only have come from God. Barbara was amazed that she could now sit down at a piano and actually play -- and enjoy it. She was terrified, however, at the prospect of playing for an audience because she was an extremely shy person who rarely took risks and who would rather curl up and die than be caught in some sort of public error. She knew, despite the many hours she had spent in practice, that live piano performance was rarely perfect, even for accomplished musicians. But, despite her fear, there was something within her that wouldn't let her back down: her deep love of music and her absolute certainty that any creative gift she received was not hers to keep. Unless it was shared, the gift was incomplete. She would lean on that faith and the certainty of God's grace to overcome her fear. Music nurtured her spirit as nothing else could -- and through realization of her "impossible" dream, perhaps she could convey to her audience some sense of the absolutely miraculous transformation that was taking place within her. Perhaps her courage would awaken their awareness, encourage them to reach for the "impossible," and bring them a little closer to the mystery and wonder of God. -- Fannin
