“Even if you know and perform the the step the correct way if you practice it differently, you will do it that way. No matter what, you have to do the same thing constantly.”
This was my ballet instructors advice when I was marking out a routine and got a little lazy with my right and lefts.
After my class was over, I started thinking how this was very true not only in ballet but in everyday life.
One of my big vices is my language. If you listen to me on a particularly hard day, I might as well be a Marine.
My soldier boy has been encouraging me to work really hard on that and I have been semi-successful at cleaning out my mouth (that bottle of Tabasco in the fridge helps too). However, no matter how much I seemed to work at it I would always have a bit of grunge slip out. So I sat down and really tried to figure out why. And then it dawned on me. Even though I didn’t always say it out loud I would think those words in my head. I practiced one thing and I expected something else in my performance.
As I though about it some more I realized I did that in many areas of my life. I would confess that I was healed but in my head I would think that I wouldn’t be. I worked to walk in love towards those around me but in my mind I growled and thought things that would never come out of my mouth.
We as Christians get very frustrated with our walks and how sometimes it seems like thinks never get better. However we are practicing one thing in our minds and hearts and expecting our outward actions to perform differently. The bible specifically tells us that as a man thinks in his heart so is he. Maybe instead of worrying about our outward performances we need to start looking at the inside were we practice.
We so often that we are not just that outward performance.
Next time you are struggling with something check your heart and your thoughts. You might be surprised at the difference once you focus on the inside.
Sometimes practice really does make perfect.
One thing in practice, another thing in the show January 24, 2009
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