Two guitars rested in their stands on the platform. Practice was over and they had a short break to rest before the main event.

One had been here many times before and the other was on this platform for the first time.

“You have a beautiful, rich tone,” the seasoned guitar said.

“Thank you. It’s been a long journey to get to where I am today. Maybe that’s why I’m feeling nervous.”

“Tell me about it.”

“My first owner was a young teenager. I was a gift for his fourteenth birthday. We spent countless hours together. What started out as discordant sounds improved over time until we became accomplished at making music. We were a team and worked well together. Life was good for several years.

Then one day my boy brought home an electric guitar. I was showing signs of wear and was no competition for this shiny new instrument. It captured his time and attention and I was left sitting untouched in the corner of his room.”

The neglect started to take its toll on me. The few cracks in my finish became larger. My neck warped and my strings started to rust. It wasn’t a pretty picture. I kept hoping he’d notice and give me some much needed TLC. It didn’t happen and my deterioration continued.

Eventually, I was dropped off at a thrift store. I thought my useful life had come to an end. Children came by and roughly pulled at my strings or thumped on my back. I’d given up when a kind man gently picked me up and took me home.

I heard I’m say he was going to restore me. What I didn’t know was how much it would hurt as he sanded, glued and clamped and refinished. Although his voice was gentle and filled with love as he spoke to me, the steps he took me through were often painful. Many times I wanted him to stop. I heard him say that the good work he’d started in me would be carried on to completion, and I learned to trust.

When the process was finished and we started making music together, I knew everything I’d gone through was worth it. I’d become a new creation and wanted nothing more than to allow him to continue to help me fulfill my purpose.”

The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed. The moment the guitar had been waiting for was near. The master picked him up and they joined with the other instruments on the church platform as they led the congregation in Amazing Grace.