When my son was 10 he refused to practice the guitar. I told his teacher he wanted to quit. “Good,” said the teacher, “I want him to quit also.” This was not one of my finer “mother” moments. Should we push harder, I wondered? Today, my son practices guitar eights hours a day. Even over Christmas break. He practices the scales a hundred times because he wants to become a great guitarist. He dreams of making his living making music.

When I was home last week, my Mom made her traditional black eyed peas and cornbread for New Year’s Eve. Mom cooks slowly. She never buys pre-grated cheese or cake mix. She soaks the beans before stewing in homemade ham broth. I cannot describe for you all the meals she has cooked for me in my life, but I can tell you that at her table I was nourished with the bread of heaven and the cup of salvation. In every bite of her food, you can taste love.

The best things in life are like music and fine cuisine. They are inconvenient. They take time. A recent article in The Christian Century by Peter Marty reminded me that “church is inconvenient.” We are bombarded with demands to attend soccer games, finish the work report before Monday, catch up on chores.
And pushing ourselves seems unspiritual.

Unless we want to become a Christian.

With grace and peace,

Carla