The weight of performance

     Music has been a part of my life since I was a child.  I was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and remember the times when the electricity would go out, setting the stage for my dad to grab his accordion. I remember he also had a keyboard(was it a casio?? lol) in the house that I would fiddle around with.  My true passion for music however began in an elementary school in Virginia where I began to play the violin. I loved to perform with the orchestra at our school. I then began to play the saxophone which I did throughout middle school, high school, and some college. I participated in all types of events, evaluations, contests, and concerts. Because of my love for making music I decided to pursue the piano during college and it is my principal instrument today.

     

     I am sharing this with you because as a musician, I am familiar with the pressures of performing. If you were to go to a piano recital for example, you would notice that every note, expression, or nuance is heavily scrutinized. A singer's reputation can hang on the performance of a well known song.  Someone's interpretation of a Beethoven symphony could potentially cause a disruption in the earth's inner core(ok, I am exaggerating a bit, lol).

     

     The point is that life is the exact same way. We are expected to perform and produce acceptable results consistently. Pressure is felt from every direction wether it be from our jobs, family, etc. Even the Miami Heat are expected to win not just one, but several championships(Help them Lord, lol!)

     

We live in a performance based society and higher value is given to the top performers.

     Unfortunately and tragically, we tend to take this performance mentality and apply it to our relationship with God.  We think we have to perform, perform, perform, in order to please Him. The day we fail to perform correctly, we tend to beat ourselves down and distance ourselves from our loving Father. Being performance conscious towards God is like trying to drag an extraordinary amount of weight that we were never designed to carry. One of the main reasons why many people, especially believers, are constantly stressed and weighed down today  is because they are so performance conscious, therefore hindering the flow of God's grace in their lives. 

     Friend, the truth is that the Father is already pleased with you. If you have accepted Jesus as your only Lord and Savior, then know that Jesus has fulfilled every demand that was written against you.  Check this awesome verse from Colossians 2:13-14: 

     

     When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

     God is completely and eternally satisfied with the sacrifice that His beloved Son did for you and me.  Without Jesus, attempting to please God in our own efforts and good works is pointless.  Rest and believe today in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and you will see that good performances are just the results of His grace in our lives! Till next time!