Beautiful Music Through The Walls

Happy Wednesday! God has been teaching me a few things and I cannot wait to share.

Recently I was at school and had a free period. I decided to practice a vocal solo that I have coming up. Not very long into my own little practice session, sound from someone else practicing was coming through the wall. My peer was in the room next to me playing her violin. The violinist is one of top musicians in the state. As I listened to her I thought to myself, “Why can’t I play my violin that way? I’ve been taking lessons almost as long as she has!” Not too long reality set in. I have not dedicated as much effort to my instrument as I could; I don’t practice as much as I should. Early on when I started playing I had a few bad violin teacher experiences and I let that affect my willingness to invest into it. Part of me plays because I’m the fourth generation to play on the specific violin that I play. I want to be the one to continue this tradition, and I want my kids to play the violin that I played, as well as my dad and grandma. My friend plays violin so well because she loves it and devotes many hours a week to it. I dedicate maybe a few hours and that includes the time that I play in my hour long lesson.

In countless ways this little scenario reflects on many Christians walk in Christianity. In the church we tend to compare each others journey. I have found myself comparing my growth to those who have had a personal relationship for much longer than me and think, “Why am I not as spiritually strong as…. [insert name].” But I can’t compare myself to that.

Sometimes a dangerous thing to do is to hear missionaries speak. This is dangerous because many times missionaries are challenged to live boldly for God and growth comes with that. However, in America God isn’t really accepted, but you won’t have (hopefully) any punishment for living boldly for God.

Countless times I hear about people deciding to be luke warm Christians because someone had a bad experience with a legalistic Christian.

I attend a small Christian school and this next point is close to home. The reason a countless number of my peers are Christian is because their family is. That’s awesome if you decide to follow God and your family does, too. Remember to make the faith your own. Heavens gates don’t unlock because your parents were followers.

Most importantly many have lack of motivation for personal devotion. Can anyone relate? Simply go into a Christian book store and without looking hard you’ll find books called “Five Minutes with God” or similar things. Why is there a need for these books? It’s a discipline issue for sure. I understand that it’s hard to find time to get into the Word but praying can happen anywhere anytime.

I’m guilty of falling into every one of these traps as I search for a deeper relationship with God. I challenge you to exam your own heart. Now I need to go practice my violin. 🙂