Reflecting on a scene from the now “old” movie Mr. Holland’s Opus, a redheaded student sits devastated, convinced she’ll never master the clarinet. During a private session, her music teacher, Mr. Holland, gently asks what she likes most about herself. She pauses, then says, “My hair – my father once told me it reminds him of the sunset.”
Mr. Holland smiles, nods, lets the moment settle, then says softly, “Play the sunset.”
She pulls her music stand toward her, but he gently removes it, telling her she already knows the notes. Instead, he invites her to close her eyes. And as she begins to play, something shifts. The sound is fuller, her mistakes fewer, and her eyes open wide with surprise at what pours from her instrument.
The difference wasn’t more instruction, practice, or effort. She had been dutiful with the details. The difference was the inspiration that came from remembering.
In the same way, the Lord invites us to remember His love, to close our eyes and play the sunset. We don’t always need more life instruction. Sometimes we just need to reconnect with what reminds us that we are loved by Him.
“…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power… to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge…” (Ephesians 3:17-19).
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