I remember my first piano recital. It was my first experience playing in front of a large group. My piano teacher had selected me to play at the city-wide teachers’ recital in London. To say that I was excited would be putting it mildly. I had worked hard, practiced hours on end and felt confident.
Details about the large recital hall or the grand piano might be interesting. I could share about the recital program or the outfit that I wore. But all of that information grows dim in light of one important fact.
I messed up. That’s right. After all of my careful and exuberant practice, I made a mistake. No amount of time can erase the moment from my memory. I was playing the first movement of a Mozart Sonata in C major and as I approached the ending of the piece I lost my place. And right there, in front of God and all of those piano teachers I edited the finale on the spot. You heard me. I made up my own ending and instantly demonstrated the best and worst of my musicianship all at once. Not only am I terrible at concentrating, I’m fabulous at improvising.
As a professional musician, I find myself espousing a familiar saying. I tell it to many of my students regularly and I’m afraid its just not true. “Practice Makes Perfect.” Or “Perfect practice makes for perfect playing.” But it’s a gigantic falsehood.
No matter how many times you practice a particular piece to perfection – there will always be another level to attain. Even if you can play all of the Mozart Sonatas without a flaw, there will be a master class to attend that will tell you how to play it even better. Perfection is impossible.
In my own life I find myself imposing the “perfection” rule when it comes to being a believer. I try to live up to standards that are impossible to attain. And worse, I look to see if others are making the grade. But God is not interested. No matter how hard I work, my efforts are in vain.
“But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (from 1Jn 2)
What a relief! I don’t have to practice for perfection any more! Because of God’s grace, and the gift of His Son, perfection is no longer required, let alone expected. The pressure is off for me to perform perfectly. I can relax because there is only one in the audience who matters and HE already sees perfection. Jesus’ perfect work on the cross has taken my place on the stage.
This is a work He’ll keep on performing right until my finale – and it needs no improvising from me! Praise God!
md
(written January 3, 2010)
daily portion 