In junior high, I started playing the trumpet in the band. I wasn’t very good, but I’m glad I learned to read music. That’s a life skill that’s come in handy. By 10th grade, I turned my attention to art and sports and dropped out of the band. Even though I could toot on a trumpet, my secret longing was to learn to play the saxophone. So, finally, in my 60s, I decided it was time and got a saxophone.
Knowing how to read music shortened the learning curve. However, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that a trumpet and a saxophone are very different. Both require a lot of breath, but that’s where the similarities end. I had to learn where ALL of my fingers were supposed to go, not just three. I had to get used to having a thin, adjustable piece of wood embedded in plastic in my mouth, rather than placing my lips on that stable, round, solid piece of metal.
It took considerable time to learn how to finger all the notes. It required patience for my muscle memory to kick in so I could move my fingers without thinking so hard. It’s taken even longer to learn to breathe deeply enough so I don’t sound like a goose being strangled by a three-year-old. The brain’s neurons require repetition to create new pathways.
Today, I COULD say I can play the saxophone, but I am not a saxophonist. Kenny G has nothing to worry about. He is perfect. I am not.
Why do some Christians get hung up on BEING PERFECT rather than BEING PERFECTED? Is it because being perfected feels like a longer, less controllable process? Goodness knows, we don’t like waiting or losing control! Why do some folks beat themselves up for not doing everything perfectly? Being perfect means constantly striving for something we can’t achieve on our own. On the other hand, allowing ourselves to be perfected means someone else is doing the perfecting. That Someone is Jesus. There’s rest in that!
Becoming a Christian does NOT mean we must automatically live perfectly sinless lives, like playing a perfect melody. We can’t do it! It DOES mean we get to live perfectly free from the guilt and power of sin. “Because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” (Romans 8:2 NLT)
Honestly, when we first learn our new God song, it might sound like the kind of music only a parent could love. (Ever been to a child’s recital?) Yet over time, our fingers learn to float over the once-unfamiliar keys, our tone grows smoother, and listeners no longer wince when we play.
Some consider Kenny G a perfect saxophonist, but he didn’t wake up that way. It took years of practice to develop his mellow tone that melts hearts. Listening to Kenny gives me something to aim for. Walking behind Jesus places me in His presence and gives me something to aim for.
The longer we linger in Jesus’ presence, the more we begin to sound and act like Him. We learn to play the notes of God’s song with greater precision by repeatedly placing our fingers on the pages of Scripture. We learn to keep filling our lungs with the breath of the Spirit so we can pour out our praise. Our process most always becomes someone else’s encouragement!
When believers take center stage to play God’s song in His Grand Recital, we will not be playing a solo. Jesus’ grace notes will harmonize so well with ours that it will sound sweeter than it is. We will also have the Holy Spirit as our internal conductor. He will set the tempo, control the volume, and inspire our heartfelt emotion. Then, like any good father at his child’s recital, God will hear only pure perfection.
God doesn’t expect you to perform flawlessly because He knows your feet are on the road to HIS perfection. The tagline for my ministry here at Perfection Road is “filling life’s potholes with God’s perfection.” HE is the only One who can fill the potholes in your heart with a new song. HIS way is the only perfect way.
David penned Psalm 18 after God rescued him from Saul’s clutches. It contains the key verse for Perfection Road. Why not put this song on repeat in your heart’s spiritual playlist and refuse to get hung up on being perfect? Instead, rest in the knowledge that you are being quietly perfected. After all, “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow. You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great. You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.” (Psalm 18:30-36 NLT)
Keep traveling and keep playing that new song!
