When I was very little my father would set up a movie projector in our small living room. He would attach a white bed sheet to a wall and we would watch orchestras play Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. Now via the wonders of technology we can on Youtube watch such wonders with the press of a few keys. One of my favorites is Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky. There is a magnificent performance of Pictures with only a piano (no orchestration) played by Khatia Buniastishvili. After watching I read an online review of her performance. The reviewer scathed her for playing it with her own interpretation. There are passages where she rushes and other passages where she is very slow. Music is best when it flows from an artist and is not exactly like a past playing.
It is grand to attend church and listen to a sermon on a topic we have heard for years because each preacher adds to it the flavor of his or her personal experience. If we wanted it exactly the same each time we could stay home and read it over for ourselves. Humans are marvelous creatures because we are so very unique. Each of us brings different feelings and interpretations to experiences. If God had wanted us to be clones it would have been easy to have done so. However, while we are created in His image we bring to life an unlimited amount of varied colors. Meeting new people is a treat because each time is a brand new experience. As with music and stories each of us radiates a picture of God like no other. God is revealed to the world with more facets than possible on any diamond. Best of all, God is delighted to shine out of our uniquenesses. (Is there such a word? There is now.)
Written by Roger Bothwell on April 25, 2016
PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org