One of my favorite stories is probably apocryphal, but still worth sharing. It’s about a woman who wished to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, and so she took him to a concert featuring the renowned pianist Paderewski.

After they were seated, the mother spotted a close friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. As children often do, the little boy immediately seized the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall. He started walking around, and eventually made his way through a door marked “No Admittance.”

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing. Suddenly the curtains parted and the spotlight focused on an impressive Steinway piano at the center of the stage. To her shock and dismay, the mother saw her young boy sitting at the keyboard innocently picking out the notes of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

That very moment, the great piano master, Paderewski, made his entrance, moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit; keep playing.” Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part. Soon his right hand reached around to the other side of the child and added a high running obbligato. Together, the old master and young novice transformed an embarrassing situation into a wonderfully creative experience.

Now, like I said, I don’t know if that story is actually true, but I do think it contains a significant truth. Each of us lives our lives the best we can, even though we recognize that the results are not always noteworthy. We don’t exactly produce graceful, flowing music all of the time. But with the Master playing together with us, our life’s work can be transformed.

So, the next time you set out to accomplish something, don’t be afraid of failing. Instead, feel God’s loving arms around you, and know that Christ’s strong hands are there, filling in the missing notes, keeping us on key, and turning our feeble melodies into something rich and beautiful. Indeed, if you listen closely, you may even hear the Almighty whispering in your ear: “Don’t quit; keep playing, because I am playing with you!”