No Problem

To the one who has, more will be given; he or she will know abundance. Matthew 25

There is a saying so well known it may well be a cliché, and at the risk of raising my editor’s ire, I will say it anyway: Practice makes perfect.

I was reminded of that this week as I had occasion to parallel park my car and discovered to my dismay that my skills have decayed horribly. In this day and age of shopping center parking lots and major parking structures downtown – all designed with angle parking in mind – I haven’t had to actually parallel-park a car in ages.

Don’t get me wrong, I know HOW to do it and, in fact, I was once quite masterful at it. I was “One-take” Axberg when it came to street parking. If I had the length of a car and a foot in which to squeeze, I could do it and never threaten to touch either vehicle fore or aft.

Not now. It was work squeezing into a space large enough for an aircraft carrier, and it still took several tries to get it right!

It is true what “they” say: Use it or lose it.

That’s the way of life, though, isn’t it? God has given us gifts and talents and a capacity to use them, and we are blessed when we have opportunities to put them to work. Sadly, the demands made of us along life’s path often require us to set aside the things we like to do, things we enjoy doing, and things that give us joy, delight, and purpose in living.

Why do we do that? Why do we lose the fervor we once had for the things we truly enjoy? Is it possible that we have bought into a culture that only knows how to say “No” to anything and everything that stands before it?

“No” is the safest thing we say and do. As our children grow, develop, and explore their world, we recognize the dangers that abound, and so we say, “No!” It is not our intention to stifle their curiosity, but to protect them from harm, but at what cost?

It becomes habit forming, this world of “No” and it is far easier to say “No” than to have to guide folks, teach them, and actually help them develop the tools needed to think before one acts; or how to solve problems creatively, or to patiently work out puzzles that arise from time to time.

Sometimes it makes sense to say no to something. It is OK to say “No” to things that are illegal, immoral, or outright dangerous. Why should we suffer fools a hospital bed for injuries sustained while doing a stupid stunt in hopes of producing a “funny” video for the internet or cable television? We suffer fools a bed out of compassion, of course, but the point is, we shouldn’t have to.

Be that as it may … God has given us the talents, interests, and skills we need to meet our practical requirements (working together in community), but God has also given us gifts to satisfy our spiritual appetites as well.

We receive daily homework assignments from God to take our abilities and put them to work making this world a more delightful place. That’s important.

It is easier said than done, of course. Taking up a musical instrument requires the patience of Job amongst and around the family. If one only practices when everyone else is gone or away, one won’t likely get much playing time.

But how can we compare the inconvenience of the practice sessions with the beauty of the performance when that time comes?

I think we need to learn how to say “Yes” better and more often. We are very good at putting on the brakes to things we don’t know or are unclear about; but we need to develop a capacity for daring to say “Yes” and allow that sometimes our yeses won’t work out the way we thought they would – but that’s OK.

Great things are never accomplished by saying “No;” only great failures and greater losses. Perhaps we should pray for God to grow our capacity to say “Yes.” At least that’s what I’m praying for this week in this, our parallel universe. Now, off to practice!