I consider myself a patient person. Most of the time, I think I’ve been fairly good on the “patience scale” when it comes to being a father, pastor, fisherman, and Washington football fan. But one area where I’ve never had much patience is learning a musical instrument. I’ve taken piano and guitar lessons, but never became confident in my skills in either one. It’s like I just gave up on myself and my ability to ever be really good. But being able to play something is such a cool thing, so I haven’t totally given up. I recently acquired a bow psaltery which is kind of like a medieval dulcimer that you play with a violin-type bow. They say (whoever they might be), that it’s a very easy instrument to learn. So, we’ll see. I’ll keep you posted. If all goes well, I may even surprise you with it one Sunday morning. On the other hand, it might end up on my wall as a nice decorative conversation piece.
Patience is something we’ve all had to wrestle with lately. From mask wearing to social distancing, we’ve all had to be patient with the new reality Covid-19 has brought to our lives. Thanks to everyone who has continued to be patient with the church as we try to faithfully navigate all of this while loving each other in the safest way possible. Thinking about patience, I consider God who found a holy patience for us over and over again throughout the stories of the Bible. We sin and turn away, but God continues to show up and remind us who we belong to. I think about 1Corinthians 13, where Paul defines love first and foremost as being patient. I think about Jesus who was SOOOO patient with those first disciples. And then I think about me. I may consider myself a patient person, but I’m not even close when it comes to the one who carries divine patience.
As I laid my bow psaltery on my lap and started to play, I realized right away that this wasn’t going to be as easy as theysaid it would be. But I’m going to hang in there and see what happens. You never know, this little instrument might just be the one for me. If not, I’ll hang it on my wall and look at it each day, remembering that even though I fail at so many things, my Lord and my God will never fail me.
In God’s holy peace,
P Derek
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