(apparently the visual link to the youtube video of my new organ isn't showing up on Android so the above is the direct link)
On this the Sabbath day, and on a day that pre-pandemic would have included Fast and Testimony meetings in Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saint chapels across the globe, I want to share something that Judy, in her frank and outspoken way, taught me. When Judy was a student at Brigham Young University, she attended a campus ward. One Sunday during fast and testimony meeting, a young co-ed stood and bore her testimony of a miracle she had witnessed. When this young lady had gotten in her car that morning to go to church, her car wouldn't start. Her car had been struggling for a couple of weeks, but that morning, it would not even turn over. After trying several minutes to get the car to start, the girl returned to her apartment, went to her bedroom, got down on her knees and said a prayer. She then returned to the car and it started. The student thanked the Lord for his tender mercies.
My frank and down-to-earth sister was unimpressed with this miracle. She explained to me that we can't expect the Lord to miraculously fix our car every time we need to go somewhere. Sometimes we just need to fix the car. My tender heart was taken aback by this because I know that due to finances, sometimes we can't afford to get things fixed. I do not like to discount the faith-building experiences of others.
It's been forty years since my sister told me that story with her critical analysis. Obviously the story had an impact on me because I am still pondering it. I thought on it a few years back as I read Trevor Noah's memoir, "Born a Crime." In his book, he tells how his mother drug him to church every Sunday. She drove an old unreliable VW Beetle. One Sunday, they got in the car and it wouldn't start. He turned to his mother and said, "I guess Jesus doesn't want us to go to church today." She responded, "Satan doesn't want us to go to church today and he has thrown this obstacle in our way. But we will show him that this won't stop us." They rode the bus to church.
And I am thinking about Judy's story today. I am thinking about the Lord's tender mercies and how he blesses us by helping us solve our own problems. A couple of weeks ago, my organ gave up the ghost. It had always been touchy. I bought it off a guy in California 15 years ago. He had frankensteined it from old parts from multiple organs as a DIY project. He sold it to me because he had built a better one. My organ ran on faith, five power supplies, and four midi boards. Each key was soldered to a wire in a computer ribbon cable. Every time the power went out, I would have to reconfigure the organ to get it to work. This could take days, and tears, and of course lots and lots of prayer.
Two weeks ago, when the power failed and I could not resurrect the organ, I remembered Judy's story. How long was I going to expect a miracle when I now have the means to repair the organ. I have the means to purchase quality parts - and that is a miracle as well. So I purchased two modern midi manuals (keyboards) and a new midi pedalboard. The manuals showed up a few days ago. The pedals will be here next week. I continue to praise the Lord for his goodness and that, like Judy, he is interested in what interests me, expects me to learn and grow, and work through the obstacles in my way.
So sweet. Thank you for sharing and causing my own musings.
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