“When you present grain as an offering to the Lord, the offering must consist of choice flour. You are to pour olive oil on it, sprinkle it with frankincense, and bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. The priest will scoop out a handful of the flour moistened with oil, together with all the frankincense, and burn this representative portion on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” (Leviticus 2:1-2 NLT)
Musical perfection does not exist. We were taught “practice makes perfect” -- that’s a lie. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t try though!
I didn’t know this in my college years. Our grades depended on “perfection.” We worked for applause. And so, when notes went wrong, even if the error was small, to me it was failure. That’s even tougher for a church musician. You get one shot, but end up reliving the mistake. I couldn’t even take a compliment, because I focused on the flaw. You know that’s pride, right?
It’s taken quite a few years to unlearn that. For me, practice is like gathering up the grain for an offering to the Lord. The more I practice, the more “choice grain” is chosen. I don’t hastily throw it in, just to fill it up. While the world only sees those magical five minutes, … hours, weeks, months have preceded. I want my basket to be filled with the BEST I can give. The work isn’t for people….. it’s for the Lord.
The gift I receive in return is that I no longer focus on the flaws because I KNOW He’s deemed it WORTHY.
#6406
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