In his book What God Thinks When We Fail, Steven C. Roy tells a fictional story about a young violinist who lived in London many years ago. Although he was a superb musician, he was deathly afraid of large crowds, so he avoided giving concerts. But after enduring criticism for his unwillingness to give concerts, he finally agreed to perform in the largest concert hall in London.
The young violinist came onto the stage and sat alone on a stool. He
put his violin under his chin and played for an hour and a half. No music in
front of him, no orchestra behind him, no breaks—just an hour and a half of
absolutely beautiful violin music. After ten minutes or so, many critics put
down their pads and listened, like the rest …. After the performance, the crowd
rose to its feet and began applauding wildly—and they wouldn't stop.
But the young violinist didn't acknowledge the applause. He just
peered out into the audience as if he were looking for something—or someone.
Finally he found what he was looking for. Relief came over his face, and he
began to acknowledge the cheers.
After the concert, the critics met the young violinist backstage ….
They said, "You were wonderful. But one question: Why did it take you so
long to acknowledge the applause of the audience?"
The young violinist took a deep breath and answered, "You know I
was really afraid of playing here. Yet this was something I knew I needed to
do. Tonight, just before I came on stage, I received word that my master
teacher was to be in the audience. Throughout the concert, I tried to look for
him, but I could never find him. So after I finished playing, I started to look
more intently. I was so eager to find my teacher that I couldn't even hear the
applause. I just had to know what he thought of my playing. That was all that
mattered. Finally, I found him high in the balcony. He was standing and
applauding, with a big smile on his face. After seeing him, I was finally able
to relax. I said to myself, 'If the master is pleased with what I have done,
then everything else is okay.'"
Steven C. Roy, What God Thinks When We Fail (IVP Books, 2011), pp. 11-12
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