Lessons from a Piano

     Our children have an incredible piano teacher who wisely (in my opinion) doesn't requires long obdurate practices that would be tempting to skip on once in a while, but instead adamantly calls her students to consistent, smaller practice times.  Interestingly, when daily practice is mandatory only in small amounts, our children go back to the piano at various points in the day and pursue it for their own enjoyment.

     Daily times in smaller amounts are far more effective than sporadic lengthy ones, is the theory.

     We've seen the fruit with our children's piano skills and I believe this theory can be applied further than piano.  I see it in my own life with time in God's Word.  When I used to place an expectation on myself (please note I placed the expectation, not God) of lengthy times in the Bible because I felt I had to do it, I was sporadic too. 

     Then a day came, years ago, when I felt like God urged me to let go of the "have to" and embrace the "want to".  It meant I let go of the rules I'd placed around my personal devotional time and just embraced rediscovering God in His Word -- small amounts every day.

     What does this look like years later?  I LOVE being in the Word! 

     My appetite for God's Word had to grow through practice times just like my children and their piano -- small and consistent led me to long for more and more of the Word.  Far more enjoyable than the demand of feeling it had to be done, trying to make it lengthy and then having it turn out sporadic.

     I KNOW I NEED to be in God's Word and presence daily because He loves me and has important truths that I NEED;  BUT I also know that HE KNOWS it is hard to make that happen some days. 

     For me the call to small amounts consistently, has led to much longer times, but small and steady was what I needed to get started on this race!

     Let's not make God's Word part of our daily "to-do list" . . . let's make it part of our daily "want-to-do list"!  God has treasures He wants to share, but we have to take time to be present in order to receive them.   Commit to small and steady and let Him increase the desire for more!

"As for God, His way is perfect;

the WORD of the Lord is flawless."

II Samuel 22:31