The colourful, nineteenth-century showman and gifted violinist Nicolo Paganini was celebrated for his extraordinary command of the instrument. One legend has him standing before a packed house, playing through a difficult piece of music. A full orchestra surrounded him with magnificent support. Suddenly one string on his violin snapped and hung gloriously down from his instrument. Beads of perspiration popped out on his forehead. He frowned but continued to play, improvising beautifully.
To the conductor’s surprise, a second string broke. And shortly thereafter, a third. Now there were three limp strings dangling from Paganini’s violin as the master performer completed the difficult composition on the one remaining string. The audience jumped to its feet and filled the hall with shouts and screams, “Bravo! Bravo!” As the applause died down, the violinist asked the people to sit back down. Even though they knew there was no way they could expect an encore, they quietly sank back into their seats.
He held the violin high for everyone to see. He nodded at the conductor to begin the encore and then he turned back to the crowd, and with a twinkle in his eye, he smiled and shouted, “Paganini...and one string!” After that he placed the single-stringed Stradivarius beneath his chin and played the final piece on one string as the audience (and the conductor) shook their heads in silent amazement. “Paganini...and one string!” And, I might add, an attitude of fortitude.
This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that “single string” that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me. Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitude toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how we respond to it.
Paul had much to say about our mindset in his letter to the Philippians. In chapter two, he wrote:
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. (Philippians 2:1–2 NASB)
What does all this mean? Well, let’s go back and take a look. There is encouragement in the person of Christ. There is love. There is also plenty of “fellowship of the Spirit” for the Christian to enjoy. Likewise, affection and compassion. Heaven is full and running over with these things even though earth is pretty barren at times. So Paul pleads for us to tap into that positive, encouraging storehouse.
Because our choice of attitude is so important, our minds need fuel to feed on. He gave us a good place to start in Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (NASB, emphasis added)
Good advice. “Think about these things.” Fix your attention on these specifics in life and you won’t regret it.
Strings on your instrument may snap and hang loosely—no longer available or useful—but no person and no situation can force you to have one attitude or another, to walk off the stage or to keep playing with verve. That choice is strictly up to you.
Adapted by Insight for Living staff from Charles R. Swindoll, Strengthening Your Grip: How to Be Grounded in a Chaotic World (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing, Kindle ed., 2015), 225–338. Copyright © 2015 by Charles R. Swindoll.
