The greatness within

I went to my son Jonah’s first violin “studio concert” the other night. I was blessed to sit in a small room and listen to about half a dozen first year violin players play their pieces. Yes, there were a lot of squeaks and scratches but I found something else. I found greatness.

In this particular school, there are all sorts of students but they all have had to try out to get there. They’ve all achieved, in the eyes of the faculty, a level of musical aptitude to even be able to attend classes.

But I was struck particularly by a couple of older (probably 12 year olds) guys. One guy, Will, was really very good. He hit all his notes and his tempo was good. He was very proficient at playing the violin. But I also heard Leo. Like Will, Leo was also good but he had something extra. It seemed that Will was just playing the notes but Leo was making music. Do you know what I mean? When I heard Leo play, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

That’s the touch of greatness. God has given Leo a special gift and every time he practices, he is investing that gift and honing it into a world-class skill. There’s an eternal anointing when he plays. When Leo played his violin, God came in the room.

What is the greatness that God has placed inside you? What is it that He created you to do? It may be way down deep under layers of baggage and years of neglect, but make no mistake, there’s something in there—something that although others may be able to do—you will always be able to do better, with less effort, with more perfection and with more anointing. Like Will, they’ll be playing the notes but you’ll be making music.

I heard an interview this morning with Chris Gardner, the guy in New York whose life is the basis of the new Will Smith movie “The Pursuit of Happyness.” He said ever since he was a little boy he wanted to be world class at something. He started out wanting to be Miles Davis until his mom told him, “somebody’s already got that job.” She told him he had to be Chris Gardner and no one else.

What kind of world-class greatness have you been created for? That’s hard to answer isn’t it? I don’t know if it’s pride or fear of failure that keeps us from really setting the high standard and taking a hard look at that question and hammer out some solid answers.

Michelangelo was a world-class sculptor, Josh Grobin is a world-class singer, Cal Ripkin was a world-class ballplayer. Leo has all the tools to be a world-class violinist. What about you? What is it that God has put inside you that He wants to awaken? If you don’t know, it’s time to figure out. Because we’re all connected, I need you and you need me. We all need the greatness that God has placed in each of us.