As I shared in a previous blog post, I bought a guitar just
over a month ago. I’ve tried to learn guitar a handful of times in the past,
but always find some excuse to discontinue it before making any real progress.
To be completely honest, I
don’t like being bad at things.
I like things to come naturally to me. I like to learn
quickly. I like immediate gratification.
Clearly, though, that wasn’t working out too well for me and
the guitar.
This time, I knew my mindset had to be different. I knew I
had to rejoice in small successes, delight in the process, and find beauty in
the slow development of a new skill, birthed out of dedication and resolve to
see this dream come to pass.
For the first few weeks I fiddled around, taught myself a
handful of chords, and struggled to see how I was every going to get from where
I was to where I wanted to be (i.e. a ROCKSTAR!).
Then I had my first lesson with one of my coworkers. We met
for 20 minutes, he wrote out the chords for a couple songs, and told me to
practice moving between those chords.
And everyday since then I’ve sat down with my guitar and
clumsily moved my fingers in ways that, at first, felt completely unnatural. It
didn’t sound pretty, my movements weren’t fluid, and my fingertips continue to
have the strange sensation of numbness combined with fire.
Yet despite the
struggle, there is no doubt that I am improving.
Where my fingers couldn’t move or stretch before, they now
naturally find their place.
Where my fingers couldn’t gracefully switch from one chord
to another, they now move with ease.
Where my fingers hurt so badly I couldn’t press down hard
enough to make the sound come out, they’ve begun to form calluses that allow me
to practice longer and harder.
I’m not where I want to be yet, but I’m on my way. There has
been such beauty in this process of slow, gradual growth and daily commitment.
And what’s even more beautiful is the way God is showing me
the parallels between learning the guitar and what He is doing in my heart.
To be continued…
