Spring cleaning in my “corner studio” which sounds more impressive than just studio equipment in the corner. With various stringed instruments on display, I lined up empty cases in storage. A sadness overtook me as I saw them in a row, like soldiers, who at a moment’s notice, were ready to carry their corresponding instrument where they would lend their melodies in praise. Yet with cases out of sight and out of reach, it felt as if those guitars were somewhat retired, perhaps an end of a season, like deflated pool toys as summer draws to a close.
My musical muse has been strangely silent lately, her voice being lost in the mist of apathy. My word-smithery has been weaving in and out of the shadows of inspiration, as well.
In the midst of dreary day, as my heart traveled through various shades of blue, I saw a sign advising of a traffic light being lit up on 6-12. “Wait, is that is today?” Apparently, I have misplaced a day somewhere. I glanced at the radio screen for some sort of confirmation and the clock said 6:12. Whoa, I’ve heard too many stories where numbers fall together to get your attention and teach you a lesson. Okay, lesson … wisdom … hmmm … Proverbs!
“A troublemaker and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth” Proverbs 6:12 – NIV
Not exactly it, though I have been dealing with a few of those lately. However, the verses just prior:
“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest — and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:10-11 – NIV
Get busy, there’s work to do. Hmm … keep looking. Psalm 6 ends on verse 10, so that’s not it. My name is John, so:
“When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” John 6:12 – NIV
The story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with just a boy’s sack lunch. When I’ve read the story, the focus was on the miracle, that so many were fed by so little, that God provided in abundance, but I’ve breezed past the last sentence. “Let nothing be wasted.” Two fish and a few loaves fed 5,000 men plus the women and children, and had 12 baskets of leftovers to spare. “Let nothing be wasted.”
How often have I held on to my lunchbox full of blessings or talents, not allowing them to be multiplied in abundance by God? How many whispers of wisdom were scribbled on a scrap of paper, in a pile on my piano?
Feeling convicted of my use of my talents, (or lack thereof), I headed toward the piano. Unable to find my music file, I just began to play. As my fingers pressed through the dust on the keys, the ivory pressed hammers struck the slightly out of tune strings, and a melody rang forth. It was the structure of a song I had been working on for years, a go-to piece when I need intro or filler music in church. But this time, it flowed as if it had a new purpose. My mind began to wonder what my “loaves and fish” would become, but it took opening my lunchbox and offering it up to let it grow. I pray that the Lord will show me what he has in store for my “sack lunch” and that I continue to pursue it until I find out.
What’s in your lunchbox?
Are you offering it up that the Lord may feed the masses with abundance to spare?
“Let nothing be wasted.”
And Be Blessed in Great Measure
