Unfamiliar Territory
Romans 15:13 (NIV)
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Good morning!
When I was in the fifth grade, I had the opportunity to accompany my vocal choir on the piano. I wanted to do a great job. So I practiced and practiced and memorized the music from the first to last note. I did not want to make a mistake or let my choir down. The day before the concert, we were standing on the stage, ready to rehearse, when my best friend stepped up and said, “I thought I was going to play this piece of music. I practiced it and I’m ready.” I was crushed. In an effort to keep peace, our teacher offered me another piece of music to play. She knew that I would go home that night and practice all night, if that was what it took to get the music learned. It was a very hard piece of music, and I didn’t want to say no or miss an opportunity to play. So I took the music home and I practiced really hard, and then I got down on my knees and prayed to the Lord for help.
The next day at the concert, my friend played the accompaniment that I had memorized. She played beautifully. There were no mistakes, and she was very proud. When I sat down to play the accompaniment for the next song, we made it to the middle of the first page and that was when I began making mistakes. I couldn’t keep up with the group. I got lost on the page, and they kept on singing. I blushed, as I felt the tears welling up in my eyes and running down my face.
I found where they were at on the last line of the song and finished the music with them. I could see the look in my teacher’s face – I knew I had let her down. Some of the boys on the back row began to giggle and point at me. I left the stage and went into an adjoining classroom where I sobbed, broken-hearted and embarrassed. “I failed. I let my choir down. I shouldn’t have tried. Why did this have to happen?”
My teacher came to me and gave me a big hug. She said, “Deborah, you were very brave today. I asked you to do something yesterday that was not fair or easy to do. You accepted the challenge to play a piece of music that you were not familiar with, and showed great courage in trying.” I’m very proud of the choir, and I am very proud of your effort.” She wiped my tears away, and promised that I would be the class pianist for the sixth grade musical in the fall. When I returned to the group, everyone stood up and applauded. She taught me a very valuable lesson in life that day, and it is one that I will never, ever forget.
There are moments when I don’t feel I’m offering the Lord my best effort. Have you ever been confronted with a problem or a need that you were not prepared to meet? Have you ever had to “shoot from the hip” and know that whatever you give, will have to be the best you can do at that time?
When we reach out to others for Jesus Christ, we may not always have a perfect pitch, but we do have the perfect Savior. He can take our tiniest effort and turn it into something beautiful, when we trust Him to lead us. Jesus gives us joy in the journey, and we can place our hope in Him. The Holy Spirit will gift and guide us, as we step out in faith, even when we may not feel qualified or capable of doing the job He has asked us to do.
When you find yourself in unfamiliar territory, put your trust in the one who saves and redeems you, and give it your best shot. He can take your humble offering, and multiply it for the work of His kingdom here on earth.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Pray for: grace to trust Him in every circumstance. He will give you what you need when you need it most. You can make a difference. Trust the Lord to take your offering and use it for His work in the world.
____________________
Copyright 2006, Deb Spaulding
All rights reserved
Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.
