On a birthday party, I sat next to an 8 years old girl, with enthusiasm she told me about her violin lesson. She just learned pizzicato, and she can play 3 tunes on A-string, her teacher put sticker to mark where her finger should place.
“If you would like to, I can play ‘the apple tree’ for you! Oh, violin is so lovely, everyday my violin have to be out of its case, even though only for 10 minutes, but the most important thing is get the violin out.” she said.
Her dad gave a face that show he could not believe those sentences came out from her mouth, and rolled his eyes at the ceiling. Suddenly, this very sweet girl transformed into an annoyed kitten and roared:
“Papa, you’re so mean! In front of the guests you betrayed me! I do really want to play violin everyday, it’s just sometimes I find it difficult, I also don’t like it.”
I believe the girl sincerely mean what she said, only the reality might be different according to her dad’s reaction. And I recognize she is dealing with the ancient enemy, this enemy is also my constant enemy.
When I am getting ready to practice, all of a sudden, watering my plants become priority. To bake a cake is promptly a must, so that I could have cake after practice. As I wait for the cake is baking in oven, I read a book. The cake is ready but the book not yet, just one more page before practice, end up with reading the whole book. I get nervous as the sun is setting down, quickly go to church and play organ for 30 minutes. The moment I start to play, no matter how thinly it is, but still I defeated the enemy called resistance.
I sympathize with her, I hold this very upset girl into my arms, rubbed her head, and whispered to her: “I am very eager to listen to ‘the apple tree’, where is your violin ?” With no delay, she went to get her violin, and asked her dad to tune the violin for her, at the meantime, she adjust her music stand. When everything was ready, she said:
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to play ‘the apple tree’ for you! I hope you’d like it.”
She played the violin and defeated the enemy for that very day.