Marian Anderson, the Great Contralto

Chuck Swindoll tells this story: Marian Anderson, the great contralto who won worldwide acclaim, didn't simply grow great; she grew great simply. In spite of her fame, she remained a beautiful model of humility. A reporter interviewing Miss Anderson once asked her to name the greatest moment in her life. She had had so many big moments to choose from. For example:

There was the night conductor Arturo Toscanini announced, "A voice like hers comes once in a century." In 1958 she became a U.S. delegate to the United Nations. Then there was that private concert she gave at the White House for the Roosevelts and the king and queen of England. And in 1963 she was awarded the coveted Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Which of those big moments, among many, did she choose? None of them. Miss Anderson quietly told the reporter that the greatest moment of her life was the day she went home and told her mother she wouldn't have to take in washing anymore.

Unlike Marian Anderson, some of us go to great lengths to hide our humble origins. The truth is, when we peel off our masks, others are usually not repelled; they are drawn closer to us. Frequently, the more painful or embarrassing the past, the greater the appreciation and respect.

The prophet Isaiah mentions this very thing as he reminds us to: "Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug" (Isa. 51:1). That sounds much more noble and respectable than its literal meaning, for in the Hebrew text the word "quarry" actually refers to "a hole." Or, as the old King James Version translates it: "Look unto . . . the hole of the pit whence ye are digged."

What excellent advice! Before we get all enamored with our high-and-mighty importance, it's a good idea to take a backward glance at the "hole of the pit" from which Christ lifted us. In fact, let's not just think about it; let's admit it. (Dallas Seminary Daily Devotional, 8-29-06)