But here's the deal. I had multiple reasons for wanting to take piano lessons. First, I love playing piano. When I took lessons as kid, I drove my family crazy because of my incessant practicing of Amy Grant's "Thy Word" and Beethoven's "Fur Elise." I played before school. I played after school. And according to my sister, I played to get out of doing dishes. (I think she might be exaggerating about that.) Second, I have a daughter who has been taking piano for years and refuses to play in front of people even though she has a gift. (She inherited that resistance and lack of confidence from me.) So I love to play and I want to be a better role model. Most important of all, though, I really enjoy praising God, and I've promised God that I will be usable and not quite so stubborn anymore.
Here I am, a couple of glorious months into my piano lessons, and I'm feeling like some of my songs are just about ready to be played in front of people. The problem? I can't get them to be perfect! I know from past experience that if I can't get them to be perfect in private that there is no way I can play them in public. Plus, I have this annoying habit of saying "oops" every time I make a mistake or at the minimum, raising my eyebrows and grimacing.
Take moment to picture me, a cacophony of piano notes, "oopsies," and grimaces. Now you feel my pain.
So I asked my piano teacher, who plays frequently at church, "When is the last time you played a song without mistakes?"
Her answer? "I don't remember."
Our lives are full of mistakes. Every. Single. Day. What if we quit focusing so much on being the perfect Christians and instead, pray for quick recoveries when we've messed up? What if our lives, grimace-filled and imperfect as they are, can still be a beautiful testament to God's amazing grace and power?
I have a new goal today: to be bold, to be fearless, and to remember that I have a God who treasures my imperfect offerings.