The Music Man

“If you plan to do evil, you will be lost; if you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love and faithfulness.” Proverbs 14:22 NLT

Again, I'm quick to judge those who do evil and not myself. I'm tired this morning, didn't sleep well. Sip some coffee, I read and think. I'm using my route 66 mug today. I'm reminded of the Music Man. One of my favorite movies growing up. About a traveling salesman who' reputation is terrible among the cities. Professor Harold Hill is a music man and he sells clarinet to the kids in the town with big trombones and the rat-at-tat drums, big brass bass, big brass bass, and the piccolo, the piccolo with uniforms, too with shiny gold braid on the coat and the big red stripe runnin.... He sales the idea of making a band and the whole shubang to small towns, guranteeing to teach them to play and march. As soon as he gets the money for all the gear he splits town. All the traveling salesman find out about this guy and are out to get him becuause he's giving them a bad name. This all goes as planned until he tries River City, Iowa. After he walks the streets they tell him, "so what the heck your welcome, glad to have you with us, even they we may never mention it again". He meets the librarian who's a lot smarter than the other people, he falls for her but she won't give him the time of day. He ends up getting the whole town around his finger with the concern of a Pooltable, when the board members attempt to get his credentials he persuades them to say Good night to the ladies. He then goes to the town meeting and gets the whole place wrapped up in his sales pitch of 76 trombones in a big parade. Everyone's hooked except her. He think's he's even more clever when he shares his learning to play an instrument method called "the think system". She eventually falls in love with him, (mainly after the Wells Fargo wagon arrives with the instruments) and helps him believe that using his own abilities or "the think system". He could make a band, he could do good. Hits me, sometimes I get into a rut where I think I'm just terrible, I'm angry at myself, frustrated with people, confused. I can totally be living according to what I call a lie, but God is still watching me and will eventually come through and show me I had what it took the whole time.  It's my own think system that He's developing and configuring for Him as I (without thinking )try to live for me in those moments. In the end after all my junk is done I'll only want to give unfailing love and faithfulness to those around me, since the author of love allowed me to venture out be lost.