Many of you know I recently began learning how to play the banjo. One day I hope to play even a fraction as well as the lady in the video above. My present stage of playing consists of learning rolls and slides, which means going through the monotonous exercise of repeating small drills one and over until my hands have learned them. Learning anything new requires breaking things down into small enough pieces that can be mastered one step at a time. It requires being willing to make mistakes and continuing to work on correcting those mistakes. But perhaps the most important thing is putting one’s trust in a good teacher, listening to his instructions without always understanding why a particular thing is important to learn. One must have faith that the teacher can see the big picture and knows what small steps are needed to reach the goal.
This is definitely true in the Christian life. Christ is the teacher, who little by little shows us the small steps that when put together will lead to holiness. As Mother Teresa is often quoted as saying, “small things done with great love,” is a sure path to heaven. Our journey of faith challenges us not to worry about making mistakes, but rather to learn from them and over time correct them. The Christian life requires most of all faith in following the things Christ has taught us, without always fully knowing why these particular things will help us in the life to come. By embracing these things, we will learn to one day make beautiful music in heaven.
