After months of anticipation, Freshmen Orientation Week finally arrived. I unpacked my bags and squirreled away my personal belongings, giving Marilyn’s senior picture the premier spot on the room’s only bookshelf. A bunk bed hugged one wall, a closet took up the other, and two chests of drawers lined the third wall connected by a room-length, laminated counter that served as a study surface for two. Schultz Hall was built in 1850 and featured ten foot high ceilings and two massive sash style windows overlooking a carefully manicured courtyard of towering oak trees. As a freshman, I was grateful to have the room to myself for at least this first week of orientation.
Feigning an air of independence, I followed the sound of music and laughter wafting up the nearby stairwell. I slid my hand along the ancient mahogany handrails and reflected on the thousands of anxious students that had gone before me. The combination of homesickness and excitement rushed over me and I was keenly aware of my good fortune and thrilled by the prospect of living the college experience.
The stairwell zigzagged past the main floor and down to the basement, eventually dead-ending into the Snack Bar. Crude restaurant booths lined three darkly paneled walls pasted with concert posters—most already ancient history, confirming the decorating budget was lower than the yellowed, acoustic ceiling. Loud conversations and the clatter of dishes were pierced by the squawk of scooting chairs across the floor. The cacophony of noises somehow strangely soothed this homesick freshman and I knew I was home.
A pianist bounced up and down on his bench in the far corner, slapping both feet in time as he hammered out a Southern Gospel tune boogie-woogie style. The same style borrowed from dance halls by singing evangelists like Jimmie Swaggart, who along with his cousins Jerry Lee Lewis (Great Balls of Fire!) and Mickey Gilley (The Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time), rocked many sanctuaries during the second half of the twentieth century. Historically, many sacred hymns borrowed their melodies from secular venues, refitted with sanctified messages—Amazing Grace being one of the most familiar examples.
His name was Mike, and the power that flowed through his hands blew me away! I had five years of piano lessons under my belt but I could only dream of playing like Mike. Thoroughly impressed, I asked how long he had studied piano. He shrugged and without dropping a note said, “Umm, about a year now.” I laughed nervously, a freshman determined not to be snookered by this upperclassman’s obvious sarcasm. Sensing my incredulity, he stopped playing, turned to me and said, “No, seriously man, I didn’t know I could play until last year! I just sat down and began to pick out the tunes that were playing in my head. And before I knew it, I was playing like this.”
Mike is an anomaly—a rare exception, a musician who had no idea he had this gift waiting to be unleashed. Isn’t that incredible? Have you ever found that some things just come naturally? Not everyone is as fortunate as Mike but I believe each of us is gifted. And when we present our gift to the Giver of Gifts, we experience His power and His pleasure in surprising ways.
Mike didn’t know he was gifted until he sat down and plunked away on the piano. I don’t know what gifts the Lord has for me until I sit down with Him and tune into what He’s doing. Prayer is a powerful tool. Mike seemed to experience a real joy as he played. I believe we can experience that type of joy when we align ourselves with the Lord. Listen to this powerful Scripture verse about His gifts to those who look to Him.
“What happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard–things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments,” Galatians 5:22
Read Ron’s column, Simple Faith, each Saturday on the Faith Page (page 3) of the Lancaster Eagle Gazette, or visit www.lancastereaglegazette.com.