Pianos, Rats & Born Again: We All Need a Tune-Up Occasionally

I want to thank Sue Bates for contributing her moving encounter between a mission worker and a twelve year old boy. Sue and Ron Bates have been missionaries in Romania for the past eight years printing the Bible in Braille and working with street kids and orphans. At present they are building the "Inasmuch Children's Home" near Bucharest -- for the abandoned, for those who would have been aborted and for the babies of street children. You can contact them at Inasmuch@fx.ro

The musicians at the nightclub were complaining about an old piano. The keys would often stick and the sound was truly hideous. After months of listening to the grumbling and whining the owner finally decided to do something about it…. he had the piano painted.

Painted? What good would that do? That’s my point. It’s all too easy to play Christian without actually being one. We seek comfort… instead of a challenge. You want rest… not responsibility. I all too readily accept peace… and surrender my passion. As followers of God, we are often satisfied to simply paint the old piano when what we desperately need is a full tune-up.

Nicodemus had been painting his piano for years before meeting Jesus. A high-ranking religious leader, Nicodemus could be the preacher of your church (Uh-Oh… this is getting personal) but something was missing. He played it safe and came by cover of night so his minister friends wouldn’t see him. But Jesus would have none of it. He looked deep into Nicodemus’ heart and said: “I assure you unless you are born again you can never see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

I thought being “born again” was for others, not me! I don’t want to change, too much. A minister wrote, “I love Jesus but want to hold on to my own friends, to my own independence, to the respect of my professional colleagues, to my own writing plans.”

We would rather just paint our piano but Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God paid the ultimate price so we would inherit a promise and a purpose. The promise is: “God will never abandon you.” Our purpose is to offer that same astonishing promise to others.

Yet, when it comes to offering the promise of God to others… we have a lot to learn.

Sue Bates is a missionary in Romania working with street kids and orphans. She wrote about a worker who takes clothing and medicine to the streets every few months but doesn’t really get too involved. He was trying to witness to a 12-year-old boy who lived underground, but was getting nowhere. The boy was sniffing "aurolac"...the cheap inhalant of the streets and not paying attention. So, he asked the boy, “Why, why oh why, can't you believe in a God of love?"

The boy thought for a second and then asked the missionary, "Why do the rats scream at night?"

The worker said "See, I tried to talk to him about God and it was like talking to a wall...he wasn't even listening and started talking about rats. Those street kids are hopeless."

Yet, it was really the missionary who wasn't listening. He had a nice car, a full belly, nice clothes, a comfortable bed, a family, money to spend, etc. The street kid had almost nothing: a filthy "bed" in a stinking hell-hole underground that had roaches, lice, fleas... and rats that screamed at night. The boy’s message was plain and to the point. "You asked why I can’t believe in a God of love? Tell me why rats scream at night. Then maybe you can figure why I struggle to believe."

Jesus came down into our dark world and became "one of us." Christ became flesh in order to "learn obedience by the things that He suffered." (Hebrews 5:8) Are we willing to learn by Christ’s example? Perhaps, too often we want the best of both worlds. How can we have compassion and understanding for others, if we refuse to allow God to help us regularly become “born again?”

Is your piano sounding a bit out of tune: A little beat up inside? You could simply repaint it…

Or you could expose yourself to the penetrating and healing light of Christ. Sue Bates ends her story, “I didn't know rats screamed at night. Did you?” Hmm. Maybe my piano needs tuning too.