Practice and Pray!

            OK. Chuck Swindoll wrote a whole book entitled “Living Above the Level of Mediocrity.” It focused on excellence. Not perfection. Doing my best with what I have. The gifts I’ve been given. I’m not sure that I’ll ever understand people who think that mediocrity is ever an option.

          I’ve been playing the clarinet now, again, for about 9 ½ years. Before that, I played in high school but not much in the twenty years between 1979 and the end of 1999. It’s been an interesting ride. I had visited an orchestra rehearsal at church maybe once before that and was totally blown away knowing that my skills were not quite what they should be to join this group.

          So, I started over. Back to the bottom of the pile. Back to lessons with someone who wasn’t always sure how to teach someone returning to playing after a number of years off. Were my bad habits things I had learned in high school or before or a new development? I couldn’t remember! I just had to work at fixing the things that were wrong with my playing. Sometimes it was hard. Criticism can be difficult to take; but it is necessary if I am to grow and develop as a musician and as a person and sometimes as an employee at work.

          What have I learned in the last nine years as a musician? Do my best but don’t be too hard on myself when I make mistakes. Play with confidence to please God first, then my conductor. Basically, I don’t think about the audience too much. Mistakes will happen, in music and in life. Don’t dwell on them. Fix what you can and keep on going.

          There were some tough times in the growing process. Sometimes people are kind as we are growing and sometimes people are competitive. I had to forget about trying to be a perfectionist. God is still teaching me about forgiving myself and others for the flaws that we all bring to the table.

          It’s still a growth process. These days, my musical skills have improved to where I am the one playing lead and maybe leading others. How do I lead others? How do I encourage them to do their best without being as hard on them as I am on myself? Only by grace and His help. Practice and pray!