Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Escape From the Battlefield

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." ~ Proverbs 27:17
A grandson of slaves, he was raised in a New Orleans ward so treacherous it was called “The Battlefield.”  There prostitution, gambling, and drunkenness were as frequent as the sunrise.
When his father abandoned the family, the boy dropped out of elementary school to help support his mother’s meager income as a prostitute.  Talk about a difficult childhood!
A family of Jewish immigrants took pity on the 7-year-old boy, hiring him as a coal delivery boy, and soon took the starving child under their wing.   The Karnofskys also experienced the ungodly treatment by “other white folks” who felt they were better than the Jews.  For the first time in his life he was treated with kindness.  He’d wear a Star of David pendant for the rest of his life to honor the Lithuanian family who taught him about courage and determination.
Even at an early age he proved to be gifted in music, singing on the streets of the Big Easy for spare coins.  His broad smile earned him the nickname "Satchel Mouth.”  He didn’t receive any formal musical training until age 11, when he was arrested for firing a pistol in the air during a New Year’s Eve celebration.
The crime earned him a stint in a detention facility called the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys.  There, under the tutelage of Peter Davis, he learned how to play the cornet, eventually becoming the leader of the Waif’s Home Brass Band.
Released from the Waif’s Home 18 months later, he set his sights on becoming a professional musician.  While he still had to work odd jobs selling newspapers and hauling coal in the city’s famed red-light district, the kid became fascinated by the bands playing in the brothels and dance halls.
One of the greatest cornet players in town, Joe ‘King’ Oliver noted his surprising talent and began mentoring him; occasionally even using him as a sub.  He quickly began earning a reputation as an accomplished blues player.
You might recognize his name.
That little boy was Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong.  “Satchmo” had been truncated from “Satchel Mouth” when a London writer mistakenly contracted the two words after meeting Armstrong.  The rest, they say, is musical History.
But none of his fame could have been possible without the help of strangers.  From the Karnofskys who loaned young Louis money to buy his first ($5) cornet, to the various musicians who guided his musical career, they formed the backbone behind his dream.
They helped paved the path and provided the direction that pointed him towards his vision.  They also helped him make important connections.
There are lives out there waiting to be impacted by YOU.  Feel the fear … and do it anyway!
My Lord and Mentor, how blessed I am for Your friendship and guidance.  And as is the case of mentorship, I can never repay You -except by mentoring and pouring my life into young people who come into my own life.  Amen