Lessons from the Potter’s Wheel – Part 4: God’s Abilities Versus Our Inabilities

One of the unique things about those days is how God enabled us to do the impossible. We were slow learners being so accustomed to human wisdom, effort, and ingenuity, it was difficult to come to the place that we could absolutely trust Him in all our ways.

When I came in after summer school from the University of Missouri the summer of 1966 where I was working on a graduate degree, my superintendent had put out word that I was to come in to see him. Up until that time I was choral director in both the senior and junior high schools in West Plains. With a feeling kin to trepidation, I reported to the superintendent, wondering what I had done wrong on this occasion. School was just getting ready to start and I hadn’t had time to get into trouble yet – at least it seemed so to me.

He came right to the point, saying “Mr. Floyd, did you take strings (violin, viola, cello, etc.) in college?” “No, sir” I replied, “my major was in choral music.” He pressed on, “Have you ever taken strings in any setting?” I replied, “Yes, sir, I took several years of violin as a child but I can’t play anything.” He then shook me to my very roots with his next statement, “You are now, in addition to being choral music director, the new orchestra director for West Plains High School!”

I suppose my mouth hung open for some time. I was totally shocked and didn’t know what to say. Finally, I stuttered, but I have never played any other instrument other than having taken piano lessons. He gave me no choice. I was now both the choir and orchestra director.

I had to catch up real fast but with the help of the Lord, the kind assistance of the band director and the cooperation of a wonderful group of kids, I soon had the 45 piece orchestra tuned up and sounding fairly good.

I was extremely ambitious in those days and was arrogant enough that I thought I could do anything I set my head to do. I was something of a slave driver, being an in-your-face kind of director, and worked the kids hard – determined to get the best sound out of them I possibly could.

We had developed the tradition of performing the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah each year at Christmas time, usually to a packed gymnasium. Without realizing what I was setting myself up for, I decided to add the orchestra to our performance, accompanying the 120 voice choir. What I didn’t realize was how terribly difficult some of the pieces were for the string players. In particular, the violins just couldn’t play their parts to the fugal choral, “And He Shall Purify.” On a Friday morning about two weeks before performance, my violinists threw their bows down in disgust saying “Mr. Floyd, we just can’t do it.”

I thought about it all weekend not knowing what to do. I had done an enormous amount of publicity as well as bringing in band directors from nearby high schools to play wind instruments. Unfortunately, there were no string players available except for a college student who played the double bass. My reputation and pride were at stake and for the first time in my career, I was about to have a massive failure. I saw no way I could help these kids successfully play their parts and because so much depended on the fiddles, it appeared that we would be a colossal failure.

That Sunday evening, I was driving out to a rural church to preach. There was fresh snow on the ground and a moonlight night – a beautiful evening in which I felt very inspired. I was praying about my dilemma and finally came to end of myself and heard myself with a both a shaky voice and a shaky faith saying, “Lord, if you will help those violinists play the Messiah, I will give you the total credit.” I had never tried anything like that before and a new excitement was born in me. Somehow, I knew it was going to work.

On Monday morning at string rehearsal, I said: “OK, kids, open up to “And He Shall Purify.” There was a collective groan. I said, “Look, just humor me by trying it one more time. We did and for the first time ever they made it all the way through – not perfectly but yet they did manage to get through that typical “Handelean” quagmire of repetitive sixteenth notes. They were amazed as I shared my story with them and with the fact they could do it. They were so inspired that they played virtually flawlessly all of their parts to a packed house on the afternoon of the performance. To God be the glory, great things He hath done!

Lessons learned on the Potter’s Wheel: It is difficult thing to learn how weak and failure prone we are when we try to accomplish in our own efforts that which only God can make us able to do. Our impossibilities provide the showcase for his abilities.

Jeff

• Jefferson H. and Norma R. Floyd, CO-directors • Jubilee International • P. O. Box 572 • Noblesville, IN 46061 • Copyright November 2007 by Jefferson H. Floyd. All rights reserved.