Worship

I've been teaching myself how to play guitar for the past couple months. I actually bought this cheap Walmart guitar like 6 years ago, and learned a few chords, but hadn't played it much since the initial purchase.

I'm pretty bad. If you listened to me playing, you'd probably want to smash the guitar. I take a while to change chords (although I'm getting faster!), I sometimes hit the chord wrong, and I have absolutely no sense of rhythm...which, it turns out, is pretty important for playing the guitar well. I feel like the first two flaws could improve over time, but the third probably means I'm not destined to start a band.

But that's OK, because I don't want to start a band. Despite how terrible my guitar playing may sound to human ears, I know it's a joyful noise unto the Lord. There's something so wonderful to me about being able not just to sing (which is also pretty bad), but to make music to worship God.

When I play guitar, I get lost in it. Time goes by so quickly until suddenly I realize I've been playing for quite some time. Turning page after page in my "easy worship songs" guitar chords books, singing and playing to celebrate the greatness of God.

Working on learning to play guitar has been a part of my 2012 goal to rediscover who I am in Christ, and who God made me to be. And even though it's clear he didn't make me to be a wonderful guitarist, that's OK. He made me with a heart to make music for him in the privacy of my guest room. I don't have to be good at it—if I enjoy it and do it unto the Lord, that's what matters.

The same goes for swimming. And running. And yoga. I'll never be an Olympic swimmer. I can barely swim two laps without pausing to catch my breath. I've been running for about a year now and still have to take a couple walking breaks on my mere 1.5 miles route. And after 5 months of yoga, I still can't touch my toes. I watch other people in the class move their bodies in ways I can't imagine will ever be possible for me.

But my mediocrity doesn't bother me in the least. All of these things are ways I connect with God. All of these activities are ways I honor him with my heart and my body. And all of these things are things I enjoy doing, because that's how God made me. I think this is what worship is all about. Doing the things you love to do, for the glory of God and to connect with him. And no matter how mediocre or just plain lousy you are at those things, it's beautiful when he sees you doing what he made you to love doing.