Faith and Piano

I started learning to play the piano in the second grade. For those who have never learned to play an instrument it is a SLOW process this process is also used in sports. So the process requires time each day working steadily to get better bit by bit, a little every day. Something I have always found interesting about piano is that if you stop practicing, even for a little while, your ability seems to decrease.  It’s like walking the wrong way on one of those moving sidewalks at the airport, if you stop you’re actually moving backward. Because of this fact consistent practice is key to building skill.

Faith is like that too. There have been many times when I come to a challenge that tries my faith and think, "I should have this, no problem," but I find my faith insufficient to the task. I think, "but I thought I had faith?!?" I've come to understand that faith is a process, much like learning sports or an instrument; it's something we build every day. Our ability to use our faith develops a little at a time as it is tried and tested time after time. In order to grow our faith we must persist in the face of our challenges, knowing God is with us. We strengthen our faith by consistently obeying God’s commandments, reaching out to Him in daily prayer and studying His word. Just like playing the piano if we take a break from these things, or get angry with God and withdraw for a time, we lose a little ground and need to build it up again.

I am positive I will never be a concert pianist or that I will have faith to move a mountain but I will continue to plug away, enhancing my ability day after day. I’m recommitting to daily prayer and study today and you can too!  Let’s do the little things that will help us feel closer to God and allow us to more fully feel His love and receive His guidance. Just as I'd never consider myself proficient enough at the piano to not need practice but I know enough to enjoy playing and accompany every once in a while, my faith is still growing but sufficient to act, to endure and to find joy. It is because of this that we can enjoy the beautiful music of faith in our lives.