I began taking piano lessons last year at the ripe ol’ age of 34.  This is something I have always wanted to do and now I have a chance.  My piano teacher, who is also my back-up organist, is extremely talented.  She has a number of students and is known around town as a very good pianist and teacher.  I have been taking lessons for over a year now and I am progressing quite nicely.  I am feeling more and more confident because I am picking things up quicker than when I first began.  But I also know that my "talent" is nothing compared to my teacher.  About a month ago she gave me a piece of music to work on for my recital.  The piece is a duet.  For those who do not play piano, it is one thing to play by yourself, but it is a whole different story playing with someone else.  Any mistake that either one makes will effect the other.  If either person misses a note or slows down, the other needs to compensate.  It is hard enough concentrating on the notes on the page.  Now my teacher wants me to think about someone else.  But when I practice with my teacher she does something that makes things easier and more comfortable.  She is patient and waits for me.  She compensates and encourages me to keep going and not give up.  She does not throw her hands in the air and say, "You’re hopeless and will never get this"(even though I say that to myself some days).  My teacher waits.

As I was practicing my part of the duet this morning I started thinking:  This is like our walk with Christ.  We often feel that we can do things fine on our own.  We may go to worship and read scripture now and then to get some "pointers" for the week, but then off we go until we shall meet again.  But when we walk with Christ daily; all the time we see just how hard it is.  What Christ demands is difficult.  We know we do not measure up.  We stumble, slow down and make mistakes.  But guess what Jesus has already done the hard work; he died and rose from the grave so we may have life.  So this means that in our walk with Jesus, he continues to guides us and encourages us to keep going.  He will not throw his hands in the air and give up on us.  He will never ask something of us that we can not do.  As we practice/live our lives, Jesus is there as our teacher/encourager/comforter/Savior/everything else.  Jesus is our partner in this life and he knows what he is doing.  And I can think of no one else to play the great duet of life with than Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen!