The Touch of the Master's Hand
It was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
Hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three",
But, No,
From the room far back a grey haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet,
As sweet as the angel sings.The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.
"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."And many a man with life out of tune,
All battered with bourbon and gin,
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin.
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.
But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Master's Hand.I imagine that many of you have heard this poem before. It is quite famous and popular. BUT...do you know the story behind the poem?
The Touch of the Master's Hand was written in 1921 by Myra Brooks Welch. Myra was born into a very musical family. She was a talented organist, who loved music with all of her heart and soul. In fact, Myra has been called 'The Poet with the Singing Soul'.
Myra was quoted as saying that The Touch of the Master's Hand 'wrote itself' in 30 minutes, after she was 'filled with light' when she heard a speaker addressing a group of students. She believed it was a gift from God, and she did not want to take credit for it. She anonymously sent the poem to be published in her church bulletin, and the poem gained widespread exposure without anyone knowing its creator.
Several years later, The Touch of the Master's Hand was read at an international religious convention. The reader stated that the author was unknown. A young man stood up from the crowd and said, "I know the author, and it's time the world did too. It was written by my mother, Myra Welch."
Through her inspiring poetry, the world came to know Myra Brooks Welch. But, it was her life that was the greatest inspiration. Myra wrote her poetry from a wheelchair...with her badly disfigured hands. She had severe and debilitating arthritus that left her crippled and unable to play the music she so loved. Although terribly painful, she would hold a pencil in each hand and use the eraser to type out the words to the poems that flooded her soul. She did not allow her disability to prevent her from making a joyful noise!
What about you?
Are you hiding behind a wall of FEAR...INSECURITY...DISAPPOINTMENT? Do you have dreams that you may never realize because you don't want to risk making a fool of yourself to the world? PERHAPS...you have already tried and failed.
Consider this:
"Failure does not count. If you accept this, you'll be successful. What causes most people to fail is that after one failure, they stop trying." - Howard Newburger and Marjorie Lee
"I am not judged by the number of times I fail but by the number of times I succeed, and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying." - Tom Hopkins
"Inherent in the nature of our selfconciousness is the embarrassment we have over our shortcomings. Should we be embarrassed that we are human? No. Just Humble and Grateful to have the opportunity to help others learn from our mistakes." - Author unknown
There is GREATNESS inside of YOU. REGARDLESS of how many years your gifts and talents have laid dormant...NO MATTER how deeply buried by the weight of regret...THEY ARE THERE...just waiting to be revived by the touch of THE MASTER'S HAND.
Written and Posted by:
Elizabeth Nieves - Broker, REALTOR® - The Elizabeth Nieves Realty Group @ Keller Williams - www.ElizabethNieves.com
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