A Word About Practice

I was exposed to an important truth about life at a very early age, I think: In order to master something, in order to get really good at almost anything, you have to practice. The only way I ever learned to walk, to stand up and move from one place to another, was by practicing. No one told me I had to practice. I just did it, because I wanted to move from where I was to where my toddler mind thought I needed to be.

 

That changed a bit, of course, when I started school. I entered that learning environment we all have to endure and found myself in a totally different climate in my life. To excel — in fact, to simply survive the rigors of school — I had to practice as a regular part of my life. I had to practice writing my ABC’s and I had to practice reading words by recognizing them. I practiced my multiplication tables, too. I didn’t want to practice. But somehow, my teacher and my mom and dad wanted me to get really good at multiplying numbers, so they insisted. I had to practice my multiplication tables.

 

And everyone who’s ever played any musical instrument knows that if you want to improve, if you want to get good at playing piano or trumpet or bagpipes or a tamborine — you have to spend the time necessary on the practice bench. Baseball players practice. Football and basketball players practice. Over and over and over, they run the same plays and pretend they’re in a real game. They memorize actions, and do them repeatedly until they can perform flawlessly. 

 

No matter what field of endeavor we engage in, in order to become proficient at something, we have to practice. The toughest part of practicing, I think, is that while practice is essential to becoming excellent at something, it doesn’t really count for anything. Practice is so we can excel when the real deal comes along. Golfers play practice round, for example, before tournaments. They could shoot an unbelievable practice round and still be in last place when the real scores are posted when the tournament starts. Practice rounds are important, but they don’t actually ‘count.’ (or do they?)

 

I like to imagine that another word for ‘practice’ is ‘rehearsal.’ When actors rehearse their lines in a play, they do it so their dialogue and interaction with the other cast members will seem natural and not just some memorized dialogue. When musicians rehearse, they’re not just focusing on the notes in a symphony. They refine the nuances, the subtle tempo changes and dynamic markings of the loud and soft of the score. And they rehearse with great attention to detail, so that when it comes time for the ‘concert,’ they will be prepared because they’ve rehearsed.

 

In Kingdom living, however, there’s no rehearsals, have you ever noticed. In Kingdom living, there are no practice rounds or rehearsals. Every day, every decision, and every action counts as part of our faithful walk with Jesus. This calls for a life of intentionality, readiness, and a constant pursuit of godliness, knowing that we are living out our faith in real-time with eternal significance. I’m not rehearsing. I’m not practicing for the real thing. This is the real thing.

Ephesians 5:15-16: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” 

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