FOOD
FOR THOUGHT
(11/12/2006)
MY
FIRST JOB
Cindy Hong
When
I was in 4 th grade we drove from Detroit to Chicago to visit family and
friends. My mom didn't want me to go a few days without practicing piano,
so she made me bring my piano books on vacation. It wasn't until we got
back to Michigan that I realized I had left my books in Chicago (intentionally
or unintentionally, I'm not sure anymore). But since it would take a few
days for the books to arrive in the mail, my mom didn't want me to go
another few days without practicing. So she thought it would be a good
time to start playing hymns and picked out “Be Still, My Soul” as
the first hymn. To motivate me to learn, Mom said she would give me a
nickel for every new hymn I learned to play. At first it was hard, even
with the nickel, but after several days of practicing I was able to get
through the whole song. As a kid I also liked to play fast, just to see
how fast I could play without making any mistakes. But my mom never appreciated
it when I turned her hymn into “Be Fast, My Fingers.” She would say,
“This is a song about being still before God. Play it s-l-o-w-l-y.”
It's been years since I earned my nickel for this song but the truth of
these words still rings loud and clear for today. Our lives are so fast-paced
and we drive ourselves exhausted, it is next to impossible at times to
be still and know that God is God. If the psalmist can give the imperative
from God “Be still and know that I am God,” perhaps one of our first
jobs as followers of Christ is to do that just. Somehow. Someway. Today.
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