| Proverbs 27:9 – “Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.” (The Passion Translation) |
If you could name someone who, when you are feeling low, can lift your spirits, who would that be?
Everyone has a name they can put in that blank.
But the next question is harder–in who’s blank does your name go?
It’s one of those traits which make a quiet impact on a world that seems destined to drag human spirit down.
That’s why one incident is so important.
If you have had your COVID-19, you know that you are required to stay a while to see if you have any adverse reactions.
One man did something different with that time.
He got his vaccine at a local community college in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. When he got finished, he stopped the coordinator and asked he could do something. Since he was masked, he was also unrecognized.
He sat toward the back wall socially distanced as instructed. He withdrew from his case a cello and he began to play. But this was no ordinary man just doing a volunteer serenade.
It was an 18-time Grammy winner named Yo-Yo Ma. He played an impromptu concert for those who were there. As one man said, “many people were moved to tears. It was an exceptional moment at the end of a long day of giving shots.”
But this was not an isolated event for Ma. He makes it a point to do something special for people he does not know.
When the pandemic descended in March of 2020, and Americans were stuck at home, he played a series of Twitter live streams called Songs of Comfort. Then a few months later, he and pianist Emmanuel Ax went to a hospital parking lot where they played for frontline workers.
I suppose he was intended to do that.
His name in Chinese means “friendship” and he uses his tremendous musical talent for others.
As one of his friends says, “whenever and wherever people are down, he has a knack from bringing them back up again.”
There are many people in the New Testament we know nothing about.
They are almost like vapors–arising and then going away quickly.
In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul mentions three men by name.
We know nothing about them…where they came from, when they were converted, or if they were leaders in a church.
We only know that Paul took time to write about and keep their names and spirits alive in the pages of holy scripture.
Their names were Stephanas, Fortunatas, and Achaicus. They were standins for the Corinthian church.
Why did he remember them? Because they refreshed the spirit of Paul.
Wouldn’t you want to be remembered as someone who refreshes a parched soul? Who can you do that for today?
–Robert G. Taylor
robertgtaylor.com
