Practice

Sometimes we all want quick fixes to our problems. We want things to change immediately. Sometimes they do change that way. God still does perform miracles. However, change is a process that takes time and is practiced as a way of life. Jesus asked us to practice his way of life and to teach other to do the same.

"God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:18

I like to use the example of practicing for a sport. I played football in college and I hated practice. We did the same things over and over. I remember telling myself, "why are we doing the same things day after day?" I can still tell you to this day, almost twenty years later, what we did each moment of practice. It was not until I was a senior in college that I "got it." We did all that practicing so that on the day of the game, with all those people screaming and cheering, and I had about 20 seconds to decide who to block, and asses the defense, this was not the time to be thinking about details. This was not the time to be thinking about which foot to step with, where to place my head, and where to put my hands. No, this was the time to remember the play, the snap count, and know what my assignment was when the ball was snapped.

Life is the same way. We somehow think that we can just have the right and best response to people in a moment without any practice. We think that there is no reason to spend time looking at how we think, our actions, and how we treat people. We take little if any time "outside the game of life" to practice what we will do when we begin to participate in life. This, to me, is the practice of a quiet time, meditation, bible reading, prayer, etc. Whatever you want to call it, this is the practice of doing what Jesus has asked us. We plan for our days in our brains. We see ourselves being kind, loving, and compassionate. We know what makes us angry and we already know the game plan before we get in that situation.

So today begin to spend some time practicing. Pray, meditate, read, imagine yourself in a situation that gives you anxiety or anger and see yourself handling it the way that Jesus instructs. Learn the ways of Jesus outside of the game of life, practice them in your thoughts and this will lead to a practice in your actions. This may be hard at first, just like football was to me when I started. But with enough practice, joy, happiness, and peace come more naturally when you are in the game. These traits become something that you no longer have to think about or work hard at. This takes practice, do not fool yourself into thinking that you can just do this for a day or two and then you "got it." This is a lifestyle and a lifetime of practice. The benefits will soon come.

Namaste'