I’ve loved all kinds of music since I was a teenager. I played the organ at church and piano at home when I was in high school, and have listened to classical music, rock, and jazz for over forty years. I own a beautiful grand piano that I still play occasionally, but just for my own enjoyment. Although I appreciate fine music, I’m not very good at playing it myself.
Malcolm Gladwell says that you have to practice something for 10,000 hours before you become an expert, but I don’t think even 5 years of full-time practice would change much. I’ve practiced at least that much over a lifetime and I’ve come to realize that I do not have a gift for playing the piano. I could spend a lot more time practicing and at the end of the journey, I’d still be a mediocre piano-player.
The difference is in knowing who I am versus who I might become.
Over the past five years, I’ve been intentional in trying out different spiritual gifts. Although I started as a novice, I’m learning that I am called to serve in our healing prayer ministry and to help with our Inquirer’s class. I am eager to study more and am always eager to serve. The opposite is true for administration work and ”interpretation of tongues” as I have tried to learn both French and Spanish and still can only speak one language!
Rather than choose what I want to be like a great piano player or foreign linguistic, I can relax that God has already chosen the path for me. My responsibility is to allow Him to show me what I am called to do and then practice and serve to sharpen my gifts.
Are you spending a lot of time “practicing” something that you are never going to be good at?
Do you know who you are and what you are called to do?
The key is to know your identify first.
Blessings,
Agatha
(click below for MP3 file)