My parents, bless their slim pocketbooks, paid for a lot of piano and voice lessons over the years on my behalf. I took piano for 12 years–and to be honest, should be able to play better than I do…
There was the female teacher with the faint mustache and house that smelled like a casserole. The redhead who glared at teenaged-me for not practicing. Sally with her center-parted long hair and laminated flashcards. There was the pianist with astonishingly long fingers who also taught my voice lessons with a broad repertoire of Broadway hits, easing into a few Latin and German numbers.
I tell you this because you, too, are carting kids off to lessons for instruments and sports you may wonder if they’ll play in the future, hoping there are some character lessons tucked in there.
Several months ago after our worship team practice at church, the worship pastor gathered the band around and, in his prayer, thanked God for all the hours we’ve practiced and the money our parents forked over for lessons.
The practices of yesterday produce the worship of today.
Practice makes powerful
I thought of this while at coffee with my son this morning, warming my toes in the last few rays of August before September forces them back into close-toed shoes here in Colorado. My son was telling me of a YouTube video (or podcast, or whatever) he’d heard on the story of David and Goliath.
He spoke of how fast David’s slingshot may have traveled–perhaps 6-7 revolutions per second, leading to a stone’s speed of 100 kmph. According to my son, the stones he chose, based on the geographic area, may have been particularly dense in order to wreak the greatest damage.
I picture David spending hours watching sheep, slinging stones. Perfecting on-point technique. Observing which kinds of rock were best for what distances and tasks. I see him exhausted and shaking after close calls with a lion, a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-36).
I say this because yes, the battle was God’s that day as a 6’9″ bully went lights out.
But God had also been preparing David for this battle for a long time, through David’s practice and self-education.
…and potential
This is certainly true for formal practice. But it’s also true for the ways God’s growing us and growing our kids. It means
- He’s prepared us as parents for the battles of today: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence…” (2 Peter 1:3).
- God’s preparing our kids for the battles of tomorrow, and we can participate in that education: the holistic education of their minds and hearts. (Don’t miss the video explanation below of hokhma–the Hebrew concept of “wisdom” as it applies to all of life).
So all the exhausting hours we spend in life skills–helping our kids walk through conflict, teaching them to change a tire, showing them what a vibrant prayer life looks like? Those hours matter.
(Shameless plug: This is the subject of my book, launching October 5: Spiritual life skills to write on your kids’ hearts. Grab the first chapter over there on the right sidebar.)
- Some of the circumstances happening in our kids’ lives right now–failures and obstacles included–are part of their education and “practice” for life experiences we can’t anticipate. That kid running around in Paw Patrol jammies has a future in front of them only God can see, and both light and dark places he’s helping them “practice” for.
So as you head back to some of the exhausting rhythms of school, pray for your kids, and take heart.
Their full-throttle lives of worship start here.
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