Fyodor Dostoevsky, who lived in the 19th century Russia, was not a psychologist; he was a writer. However, through his writings he showed insights into humanity and spirituality like no other; one of them is this: “that the whole work of man really seems to consist in nothing but proving to himself every minute that he is a man and not a piano key.” A piano key is of course instrumental in producing a beautifully sounding note; but as good as it is, we are not content to be a piano key. We will not settle for anything less than a man.
One of the places where we want to show that we are a man and not a piano key is the church. We do that by our contribution to the church and to each other, be it in the form of ministry, giving, doing something for others, or caring for the sick. Through all that we do we prove to ourselves—and others—that we’re a man, not a piano key. That’s fine. Having said that I must remind us that we are, in fact, a piano key in a concert grand piano, where God is the pianist.
A couple of weeks ago I attended the memorial service of Tante Sian Liem. I knew her for only a short period of time before she moved to San Bernardino County, thus, could no longer come to church. It turned out, Tante Barbara told me, that Tante Sian once served as a church treasurer in the early days of our church. I still remember those early days. There were not many people, so there were not many hands to help Pastor John Lim. God placed Tante Sian to be a piano key, an important key, to keep the church finance in check.
We do not know what note we represent, just like a piano key has no clue what note it represents. What we know is that each piano key is important; a missing piano key will alter the melody. And one more thing: A piano key will only make the sound when it is hit. The finger of God must hit us before we can make the sound He wants.
Pastor Paul