Playing Second Fiddle

-
I'm sure we have all come across the phrase of playing second fiddle. According to the dictionary, it means to "have a subordinate role to someone or something; be treated as less important than someone or something."



I found the origin of this phrase fascinating. In an orchestra, the string players (particularly the 2nd violinists) are said to often feel insignificant to the other musicians. The main reason for this is because there are so many violinists and because their parts are often duplicated by other instruments.

As a result of this, it is common for 2nd violinists to develop a laxness in both their practice schedules and their performances.

On the other hand, 1st trumpeters and 1st oboists tend to be the most dedicated members in an orchestra because their contribution is considered very noticeable and important.

Human beings were created to be intentional, purposeful beings. If a person cannot find a sense of purpose in what they do, they are unable to do it to the best of their ability.

"When life loses its sense of purpose, it ceases to be life at all" 
- John van de Laar

As Christ-followers, the only way we can live a fulfilling life is if we align our purpose with God's purpose - that is: To assist in bringing God's Kingdom to this world (More to come about this in my next post on Thursday).

One conductor - Benjamin Zander - notes that the 1st oboist in an orchestra might feel more purposeful because their first job is to make sure that every other instrument is in tune with their A-note.

Similarly, our primary job as Christians is to point the world to Jesus in the hope that they will become in tune with the God who saves. If this doesn't give us purpose, then I don't know what will.

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favour has come."
- Luke 4:18-19




Comments

  1. Unknown12 February 2018 at 17:24

    Nicely done! Its so easy for people to develop a laxness in their lives, doing the same thing day in day out. Sometimes we just need a wake up call or to see their is a big picture being painted, and that the supporting roles are just as important.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rev Joe Taylor14 February 2018 at 11:33

    Thanks so much T.

    I love that idea that the supporting role is often just as important as the "more visibly involved" ones. I wish I had included that in the post!

    Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

The Laws of Leviticus

-
Image
The second and third passages of scripture that are used to condemn homosexuality and clobber LGBTQ+ people come from the often-read book of Leviticus (sarcasm alert). Before digging into these verses, let’s quote them here: “Don’t lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination.” - Leviticus 18:22 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.” - Leviticus 20:13 These strong words in the Bible have armed anti-gay protesters with enough content to fill their picket signs with hatred and violence. “Homosexuality is an Abomination” and “God hates fags” and “To death with the gays” are all signs that make regular appearances at Pride parades throughout the world, unfortunately often held up by so-called Christians. Regardless of someone’s belief about homosexuality, I will never understand how some Christians see this as a Christ-like response...
Read more

The Ceremony that Divided the Church

-
Image
Note: A shorter version of this article was first published with the Jesuit Institute of South Africa. Last week Friday, my family sat down to watch the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The French always have a knack for the theatrics and this year was no different. The performances throughout the long ceremony were mesmerizing and provocative. We went to bed that night feeling tired but excited for the Olympic Games that were officially starting the following day. Little did I know that not everyone shared my enthusiasm. The Outrage I woke up the following morning and decided to browse social media (when is this ever a good idea?). My feed was filled with people sharing their outrage at a particular scene of the Olympics’ opening ceremony. A still picture of the ceremony was being shared alongside a picture of Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” painting which admittedly showed a slight resemblance to the original. According to the outraged folk (including some morally...
Read more

Leap of Faith

-
Image
I recently did the Lake Eland Extreme Zip-line with some of my friends from Pietermaritzburg. The zip-line is 1 100 meters long and reaches max speeds of up to 160km's per hour. All that is keeping you from falling hundreds of meters to an inevitable death is 2 cables and a harness that my hysterical brain was telling me would not have been out of place as a car's seat-belt. We arrived early and waited for half an hour as we contemplated our life choices up to this point. Eventually we were all kitted up and ready to go. While I wouldn't say that I have Acrophobia - an extreme fear of heights - as I looked out over the gorge that we would be flying through, breaking the national speed-limit in the process, it is fair to say that my stomach started churning and my legs turned to jelly. It was at this point that I'm sure many of us were trying to think of any reasonable excuse that would get us out of this jump without seeming like a coward. One of the thin...
Read more