Often, it takes a maestro to help an instrument play beautiful melodies
A friend narrated this beautiful story about 20 years ago and it struck a chord and stayed with me ever since. I am sure many people can identify with it as well.
There was an auction and buyers competed fiercely to outbid each other for everything that was on offer. Before long, they eagerly snapped up all the items. Except for one: an old violin.
Keen to also find a buyer for it, the auctioneer held the string instrument in his hands and offered what he thought was an attractive price, saying “if anyone is interested, I would sell it for $100.”
A deathly hush filled the room.
After a while, it became apparent to the auctioneer that even at that price, it was not enough to convince anyone to buy the old violin. So, he reduced its price to $80, but even this did not move anyone to take it off his hands. The auctioneer then lowered the asking price even further to $50, insisting it was the best price he could offer. Still, nobody raised their hands to buy it. Finally, in desperation, he dropped the price to only $20.
Then, after another bout of silence, an old gentleman who sat at the back, raised his hand and asked: “May I have a look at the violin, please?”
“Yes, surely, you may,” the auctioneer replied, relieved that, finally, someone showed an interest in the old violin. The measly price did not bother him. At least, the stringed instrument faced the prospect of finding a new owner and home.
So, the old man rose from his seat at the back and slowly walked to the front and carefully examined the old violin. He took out his handkerchief and dusted the surface of the wooden music instrument. He then gently tuned each string until, one by one, they were in the right tones.
Finally, and only then, did he place the old violin between his chin and left shoulder, lifted the bow with his right hand, and started playing a piece of music. Each musical note he produced from the old violin penetrated the silence in the room and danced delightfully in the air. It stunned everyone and they listened attentively to what was coming out of the instrument in the hands of what was obvious to all: a maestro.
Image: Unsplashed, Victor Chartin
He played a familiar classical hymn. The melody was so beautiful that it quickly enchanted everyone at the auction and they were awestruck. They had never heard of or even witnessed anyone playing music so beautifully, let alone on an old violin. And they never thought for one moment it would catch their fancy later on when the auction resumed.
When the old man had finished playing, he calmly returned the violin to the auctioneer, so that he could try and sell it again. But before the auctioneer could even ask everyone in the room if they would still like to buy it, there was a rush in the raising of hands. Everyone suddenly wanted it after the impromptu masterly performance.
From an unwanted item a short while earlier, the old violin was suddenly the focus of the most intense bidding competition of the auction. From the starting bid of $20, the price immediately shot up to $500.
The old violin was ultimately sold for $10,000, which was 500 times more than its lowest asking price.
It took only 15 minutes for the old violin to transform from something nobody wanted into the star of the auction. And it had to take a maestro musician to tune up its strings and play a wonderful melody. He showed that what looked unattractive on the outside was actually a beautiful and priceless soul inside the instrument.
Perhaps, like the old violin, our lives normally do not seem to have much worth at first. But if we hand them over to Jesus, who is the maestro above all maestros, then He will be able to play beautiful songs through us and their melodies will stun listeners even much more. Our lives, then, will catch the world’s attention and everyone wants to listen to the music that He produces out of our lives.
Lord, may our lives become your musical instrument, like that old violin, so that we may be able to produce beautiful music people can sing to with You forever to give thanks and praise to Your wonderful love You have bestowed upon us.
Written at Puffendorf, Germany, on 16 July 2002, the Feast of Our Lady of Carmel and the eighth anniversary of my ordination.
Postscript: After studying in Rome (Italy), I went to Puffendorf in 2002 before returning home to Melbourne, Australia. Four years later, on the 12th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood, I spotted the above painting in a Melbourne shop and bought it. I framed and hung it on the wall and ever since have taken it with me whenever I move to a new place. It has become my treasure because it reminds me of the story of the old violin.
