pearls before...

i'm working on my lesson for sunday. it's largely about the resurrection of christ, but in reading the outline, one of the scripture sets meant to be covered set off a spark.

the scriptures tell of the encounter between two disciples on the road to emmaus and the resurrected savior. what is striking about this story is that though they were considered and called disciples, they did not recognize the master as he traveled with them.

recently, in a discussion about youth conference, mom and dad mentioned an article that had appeared in the washington post. the article, as i had been told, had a similar theme, or rather posed a similar question, would we recognize (a) master?, and detailed an experiment conducted by the post to elicit an answer to the question.

a violin prodigy and virtuoso was asked to put on 'street clothes' and play in the l'enfant metro station here in the district. he agreed, and everyone in the know watched and waited. the results were shameful in the sheer lack of interest or recognition.

joshua bell earns $1000 per performance minute, yet in l'enfant plaza, he earned just over $32 for the 43 minutes during which he played some of the most difficult pieces in existence.

very few people stopped, or recognized the difference between a 'common' street performer, and this master violinist. most just hurried by, anxious to get to their tasks for the day.

in my case at this particular moment, the application is as i have mentioned..that question of recognition. do i understand enough..am i in tune enough...have i studied enough, that i would know the master if he came? but the story certainly has a broader context as well. it serves as a reminder about priorities, about the way in which we choose to live our lives. are we living lives that would allow us to stop, to appreciate, and to recognize the gifts around us?

for my part, i find a modicum of success from time to time, but mostly i am probably a miserable failure. often a little too self-absorbed. a little too hurried. a little too ignorant. a little too ungrateful.

the article, accompanied by video snippets, though long, is well worth the read (and the watch), and served as a poignant reminder to me to vigilant about striving to become a little less self-absorbed. a little less hurried. a little less ignorant. and a lot less ungrateful.