Mr. Holland's Opus
I always forget how much I love the movie, Mr. Holland's Opus, until I see it again. What a really good movie! I was reminded of this tonight, while attending the Cincy Vineyard. They played a clip, with this great quote:
"Mr. Holland had a profound influence on my life and on a lot of lives I know. But I have a feeling that he considers a great part of his own life misspent. Rumor had it he was always working on this symphony of his. And this was going to make him famous, rich, probably both. But Mr. Holland isn't rich and he isn't famous, at least not outside of our little town. So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure. But he would be wrong, because I think that he's achieved a success far beyond riches and fame. Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life."
That gets me every time. I have to admit that there were tears flowing when I saw this clip tonight. It reminds me of a statement by the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church, "But the only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves! Your lives are a letter written in our hearts, and everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you" (2 Corinthians 3:2 - NLT).
It's in seeing Mr. Holland's Opus, or reading this line from the Apostle that I realize this is really what I want for my life. At least that's what I want sometimes. The truth is that most of the time I just want "riches and fame" or "a letter of recommendation". However, on nights like tonight I'm reminded that what I would like to hear at the end of my life, besides "Well done, good and faithful servant", is "We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life." I have a feeling that this will come to pass to the degree that I stop seeing others as pawns in my game of riches and fame, and instead offer myself in seeing them reach their potential. No life spent serving others is ever misspent!
"Mr. Holland had a profound influence on my life and on a lot of lives I know. But I have a feeling that he considers a great part of his own life misspent. Rumor had it he was always working on this symphony of his. And this was going to make him famous, rich, probably both. But Mr. Holland isn't rich and he isn't famous, at least not outside of our little town. So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure. But he would be wrong, because I think that he's achieved a success far beyond riches and fame. Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life."
That gets me every time. I have to admit that there were tears flowing when I saw this clip tonight. It reminds me of a statement by the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church, "But the only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves! Your lives are a letter written in our hearts, and everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you" (2 Corinthians 3:2 - NLT).
It's in seeing Mr. Holland's Opus, or reading this line from the Apostle that I realize this is really what I want for my life. At least that's what I want sometimes. The truth is that most of the time I just want "riches and fame" or "a letter of recommendation". However, on nights like tonight I'm reminded that what I would like to hear at the end of my life, besides "Well done, good and faithful servant", is "We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life." I have a feeling that this will come to pass to the degree that I stop seeing others as pawns in my game of riches and fame, and instead offer myself in seeing them reach their potential. No life spent serving others is ever misspent!
posted by Jeff Rogers at
2/17/2007 10:43:00 PM
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