I forgot about ebay. I had an auction going on a French horn. The bidding was at $40.00, and that was a great price. The horn wasn't beautiful, and certainly wasn't new, but it was advertised as all parts functioning, and looks decent. My maximum bid sat at $46.00. I waited patiently, until I got busy, and completely forgot about the auction. Fifteen minutes after it closed, someone asked me what time it was. I pulled out my phone and realized the auction had ended. I quickly pulled up ebay, only to see the auction had indeed ended fifteen minutes earlier, with the winning bid at $47.00. I hadn't lost to the other bidder. I had lost to my own distractions.
I told my wife I wouldn't bid on another French horn. I would wait, and be happy with what I already had, which was an old army bugle, and a trumpet. The bugle had come from a flea market, and the trumpet off of Amazon. At $40.00, I had gotten a brand new trumpet, quite a bargain. As I was posting this information on facebook, someone asked me what my apparent sudden interest was in brass instruments. I explained I was working on some creative ideas for passive amplification, or amplification without an external power source. I have spent some time on youtube, watching many videos on how to make amplifiers from old instruments, build them out of wood, and use other miscellaneous materials. The base idea is simply to not have to plug in, or charge, yet another device. Just build a cradle for my cellphone, attach the cradle to the instrument where the mouthpiece would be inserted, and have loud, clear music.
But I couldn't help myself. I sneaked a peek on ebay, and saw a French horn for $28.00. The brass lacquer was ugly, and the valves didn't work properly. It was an item that was better of as parts only. Given my purpose, that suited me just fine. What I really wanted was an instrument with a bell a good bit larger than a trumpet, so I could compare the quality of sound between the two bell sizes. I learned my lesson from the last failed auction. I set a timer on my cellphone to alert me when there were five minutes left in the auction. I won the auction. I had just won a French horn for $29.00! Upon hearing my elation, my wife said, "That's nice, honey", and rolled her eyes in support.
The UPS truck pulled up across the street. He carried a box to the yard where I met him with great anticipation. Signed, sealed, delivered! I ran in the house and ripped the box open like it was Christmas morning. There it was, a black instrument case. I played both trumpet and trombone in school, and was very familiar with instrument cases. When I opened it up, the smell of stale valve oil filled the air. Took me back 40 years. And there, sitting under the lights, was a colossal piece of crap. It looked worse than the photographs on ebay. It was filled with dents. The brass lacquer was a mess, easily more mess than brass. I pressed on the valves, and sure enough, one was completely broken, while the other two barely moved. I could not have cared less. I whipped out my cellphone, pulled up a song, and no, I can't remember which one. My wife stared on with bleak interest. She had seen this routine before.
I played the music on the cellphone while holding it away from the French horn. Then I moved the cellphone speaker onto the tube where the mouthpiece would be inserted. Sound emanated from the bell, but I could still hear music coming from the cellphone. I wrapped my hand around the bottom of the cellphone, and as tightly around the tube as possible. When all avenues of escape were closed off, the music played directly into the horn, and the sound coming out of the bell was magnificent. My face shone. The French horn may have been a colossal piece of crap, but using it this way, it sounded better than I had hoped for!
I have yet to build a cradle for my phone. That will happen soon. So this story would have waited for the finished product, except...
I was in church this morning. God gently let me know that I am much like an instrument being used as a passive amplifier. I am getting older. I have been used a lot. There are dents and dings that are often visible. My lacquer doesn't shine like it used to. I am, just so you know, fighting the aging process. My diet has improved dramatically. I am really trying to turn an inconsistent gym habit into a consistent one. I am not a new model, but I can still play. Unfortunately, there are moments when Father Time shows up, and that can be difficult to bear. There are many elderly Christians in my life. Those who used to be strong, and now fight just to be healthy. Some with parts that are beyond repair. Those who have retired, and are simply yearning for a purpose. Some that look old and tarnished, with a stale smell. That's a road I'm walking down, and a time that's closer than I like to admit.
And at every age, I have failed Him. I have been broken. Unyielding. Unable to see the repairs He was attempting to perform on me. Unable to see the shine He desired to refinish on me. I have been resistant to the change He wanted to advance in me, therefore unwilling to participate. I spent too much time viewing myself as a colossal piece of crap.
Yet, though my multiple parts have failed, and will fail, if I focus... if I tighten my grip on His Word... if I allow His breath to flow through me... His magnificence can and will still shine. He made me for a single purpose, and that purpose is to glorify him. As long as I exist, as long as I allow Him to breathe through me, His voice can still be heard, and hopefully, loud and clear.
"Lima Charlie, Five by Five!"
Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!"
