Whenever
great violins are talked about, the name of Luigi Tarisio will arise at some
point. Not a luthier himself, but a humble cabinet maker, he was nevertheless
hugely influential in the history of the instrument, its appreciation and
current high values. He was, according to most sources, the first violin
collector.
In
1854 Tarisio was found dead one morning in his house without scarcely a comfort
in the entire place. Having checked-out for many days, Tarisio was stiff as a board
on his sofa, fully dressed, clutching two violins. Stashed away in Luigi’s
house, get this, were 246 exquisite violins, which he had been collecting all
his life and crammed into his attic. Friends could hardly take a step without
hitting a violin, viola or cello, not to mention a magnificent Gaspar da Salo
Double bass. Clerks also counted large amounts of cash in notes and gold coins
in a mattress.
Oddly,
Luigi Tarisio in his great devotion to the violin, had robbed the world of all
of its music. All the time he treasured
the violins, the world never heard their song.
Others before him had done the same. Do you know that the greatest
Stradivarius violin ever made was first played when it was 147 years old,
because somebody stashed it away?[1]
I
wonder how many Christians are like ole’ Luigi Tarisio? We have many exquisite
spiritual gifts, but we never share them and so the Church and the world is
deprived of the song God might play through us. The Bible is clear that when it
comes to spiritual gifts, none of His children are empty handed.
In
fact, the New Testament tells us that everyone has at least one gift, “As each has
received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied
grace” (1 Peter 4:10). Paul adds in Ephesians 4:11-12, “And he gave the
apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip
the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Did you catch that? Your gift is not for you, but others!
There
is the tendency in the church to think that unless you’re preacher or a soloist
then God hasn't gifted you for ministry. This is simply not true. Don’t insult
the Lord by saying you’re not gifted. Don't cop-out by saying you have nothing to offer. Chances are you have two or three spiritual gifts that
you haven’t discovered or developed yet.
Do
you like studying and reading? Chances are you have the knack of teaching. Are
you musically-inclined? Then start singing for God’s glory. Do you have a
mechanical mind that can fix anything? I can assure you the Church needs your
workmanship. Do you get a thrill out of giving? Then you can bless people the way God has blessed you. Do you have a heart of compassion and mercy? Then find
a hurting heart and starting ministering. Your spiritual gift is tailored to
your passions, talents and desires.
The
reason why some people stay in the spiritual nursery all their Christian life
is because they never take the time to develop their spiritual gift and put it
into practice. They aren’t growing because they aren’t serving. A life
withdrawn from all service to others loses its meaning. If you want to
experience growth like none other and keep from spiritual stagnation then you
have to put your gift to use. You can’t keep it locked up in a vault or the
world will never be changed for the Gospel’s sake. -DM
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