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It was chilly in
Manhattan but warm inside the Starbucks shop on 51st Street
and Broadway, just a skip up from Times Square. Early November
weather in New York City holds only the slightest hint
of the bitter chill of late December and January, but it's enough
to send the masses crowding indoors to vie for available
space and warmth.
For a musician, it's the most lucrative Starbucks
location in the world, I'm told, and consequently, the
tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right. Apparently,
we were striking all the right chords
that night, because our basket was almost overflowing.
I sing because I'm happy;
I sing because I'm free.
For His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me.
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It was a fun, low-pressure gig - I was playing keyboard and singing
backup for my friend who also added rhythm
with an arsenal of percussion instruments. We
mostly did pop songs from the '40s to the '90s with a few original
tunes thrown in. During our emotional rendition of the
classic, "If You Don't Know Me by Now," I
noticed a lady sitting in one of the lounge chairs across from me.
She was swaying to the beat and singing along.
After the tune was over, she approached me. "I apologize for singing
along on that song. Did it bother you?" she asked.
"No," I replied. "We love it when the audience
joins in. Would you like to sing up front on the next
selection?"
To my delight, she accepted my invitation.
"You choose," I said. "What are you in the mood to sing?"
"Well. ... do you know any hymns?"
Hymns? This woman didn't know who she was dealing with. I
cut my teeth on hymns. Before I
was even born, I was going to
church. I gave our guest singer a knowing look. "Name one."
"Oh, I don't know. There are so many good ones. You pick one."
"Okay," I replied. "How about 'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?"
My new friend was silent, her
eyes averted. Then she fixed her
eyes on mine again and said, "Yeah. Let's do that one."
She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse, straightened her
jacket and faced the center of the shop. With my
two-bar setup, she began to sing.
Why should I be discouraged?
Why should the shadows come?
The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed. Even the
gurgling noises of the cappuccino machine
ceased as the employees
stopped what they were doing to listen. The song rose to
its conclusion.
I sing because I'm happy;
I sing because I'm free.
For His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me.
When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed to a
deafening roar that would have rivaled a sold-out
crowd at Carnegie Hall.
Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din, "Oh, y'all
go back to your coffee! I didn't come in here to do a
concert! I just came in here to get somethin' to drink,
just like you!" But the ovation continued. I embraced my new
friend. "You, my dear, have made my whole
year! That was beautiful!"
"Well, it's funny that you picked that particular hymn," she said.
"Why is that?"
"Well . ..." she hesitated again, "that was my
daughter's favorite song."
"Really!" I exclaimed.
"Yes," she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time, the
applause had subsided and it was business as usual.
"She was 16. She died of a brain tumor last week."
I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned
silence.
"Are you going to be okay?"
She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my
hands. "I'm gonna be okay. I've just got to keep trusting the
Lord and singing his songs, and everything's gonna be just
fine." She picked up her bag, gave me her card, and then she
was gone.
Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be
singing in that particular coffee shop on that
particular November night? Coincidence that this
wonderful lady just happened to walk into that particular
shop? Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from,
I just happened to pick the very hymn that was the
favorite of her daughter, who had died just the week
before? I refuse to believe it.
God has been arranging encounters in human history since the be-
ginning of time, and it's no stretch for me to imagine that he
could reach into a coffee shop in midtown Manhattan and turn
an ordinary gig into a revival. It was a great reminder that
if we keep trust- ing him and singing his songs, everything's gonna
be okay.
The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer...AND
Lazarus was dead!
No more excuses now!!
God can use you to your full potential.
Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.
God bless
CG |
