In addition to my role as pastor at Shepherd of the Cross, I teach violin and harp students. On the whole, my motive for teaching music is to inspire passion and teach the fundamentals – not for the pursuit of perfection, but for the enjoyment of both the performer and the listener. By far, I’m not that teacher who will form the next virtuoso. But, I still expect excellence, and my students know that, every once in a while, I do expect them to perform.

But ask any musician, and they’ll likely tell you that performing is much, much different than practicing. It’s one thing to be playing at home by yourself. It’s safe, there isn’t much risk, not too much chance of failure, and the only critic is yourself. But the moment you put yourself in front of others, the risk increases exponentially. There’s a definite chance of failure, and there are more people to give their critique – positive or negative.

That’s the nature of performance, which is a bit nerve-wracking! And yet, that’s exactly what practicing is meant to work toward. To not perform as a musician would be akin to an athlete practicing day after day, doing all the drills, even playing a few scrimmages, but then never playing the game. Practice isn’t for the sake of practice itself. Practice is for the sake of doing something with it.

So, when it comes to our lives and even our lives of faith, how would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 at taking what you’ve “practiced” and allowing yourself to just go for it? Even, when it might imply a risk?

For myself, I struggle with risk. I would much rather live in the land of certainty. But when it comes to my life of faith, I’ve recognized that a faith that is only “practiced” but not “lived” is shallow. A few weeks ago at Shepherd, we heard the story of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus. Admittedly, I always wondered what prompted Peter to want to get out of the boat. He was in the middle of a storm! But after working with my music students, I had to wonder if Peter’s desire to get out of the boat was his own willingness for his faith, what he’d been “practicing” as a disciple, to be tried and tested. He wouldn’t have needed to get out of the boat. But if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have experienced what faith – and trust – in Jesus was really all about.

So, is it worth it to get out of the practice room? To get out of the boat? Whether we’re trying something new for the first time, going out on a limb with a random idea, or simply challenging ourselves to live fully as we’ve been created to be rather than pretending we’re someone we’re not, there’s inherently a risk. And, it’s the same when it comes to our faith – whatever our individual faith may be. But as long as we are just “practicing” our lives or our faith, we won’t fully experience the joy, and depth, of what is possible.

So might we challenge ourselves in the coming week to get out of the practice room and live just a little bit more? The waters might not always be as calm as can be. But as we live – and as we allow our faith to become more than something we “practice” – we just may discover a fullness of life that can’t be matched.