Piano Lessons for Life

One Saturday every month I travel about 120 miles to teach piano to three most precious students any piano teacher could possibly want. Not only are the kids great kids, but they're talented. This is an amazing family – it's so obvious that God is the center of their lives.

Today's lessons were a little challenging for one of the students. I noticed he was a little distracted. While trying to teach a new skill, it was necessary to redirect his attention to what we were learning—his eyes were wandering. It could have been that this particular approach to some new music his mom bought was too much of a stretch for him, but more than likely he was thinking about his part in the upcoming production at the local children's theatre—he's an extremely talented young man.

"If you listen carefully to what
he says and do all that I say,
I will be an enemy to your enemies
and will oppose those who oppose you."
(Exodus 23:22 NIV)

We aren't much different than my young student. We are so easily distracted by things that we have assigned a higher priority. To him it was likely his role in an upcoming play. But, what is it to us? When the Lord is speaking or teaching us something—giving us some solid direction to live by—do we find ourselves distracted? Do we hold phone calls, television programming, or even housework as a higher priority than listening "carefully to … all [the Lord] says"?

Look at the promise that's attached to careful attention to the Lord's voice: "I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you." What a promise! What a reward for carefully listening to Him! So, why are we so easily distracted?

It's a matter of the heart. Our hearts are divided. We deem insignificant things as more important than the MOST Significant One. We fail to sit still and listen; our minds wander to other things even when the Lord is speaking to our hearts.

"So be careful to do what
the LORD your God has commanded you;
do not turn aside to the right or to the left.
Walk in all the way that
the LORD your God has commanded you,
so that you may live and prosper and
prolong your days in the land
that you will possess."
(Deuteronomy 5:32-33)

Let's be more careful than ever before to do what the Lord has commanded us. Let's not look to the left or the right—let's not daydream or allow our minds to wander when God is teaching us something by example or through His Word. Let's be careful to "walk in all the way tht the Lord your God has commanded [us]." Why? "So that [we] may live and prosper and prolong [our] days…"

It's to our advantage to focus carefully and to heed the Word of the Lord. And, just like my student today, if we would focus on the new things God is teaching us, we will undoubtedly be blessed. Whether you're learning a new technique on the piano or learning a valuable life lesson from the Lord, pay attention. There's something valuable to learn that will bless you and bring glory to our Heavenly Father.

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© 2007 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved