Teaching God

The other day I attended my son Jordan’s piano recital. I don’t usually get excited about piano recitals. It’s one thing to endure your own children struggle to find the right key night after night for weeks on end, but sitting through two hours of other people’s kids doing the same thing is downright painful.

But this recital was different. Why? Because every note was played on key? No. There were plenty of “G” sharps that should have been “B” flats. It wasn’t any less painful to endure. This recital was special because my son actually participated.

About three years ago, at the end of another recital, he announced to us that he’d had enough. He no longer wanted to play the piano. This was devastating to me. One gift I’ve been determined to impart to my children is a gift that I personally was never given: the gift of music. I had hoped that both of my children would at least advance to a level where their ability to produce beautiful music could bring a lifetime of enjoyment. My hopes, it seemed, were being derailed.

I couldn’t blame him, though, for wanting to quit. The fun had gone out of it for him. Only a year earlier, you couldn’t drag him away from the piano. Now it took an act of congress to get him to practice for even ten minutes. Some of his loss of enthusiasm I attributed to adolescence; lacking the discipline and maturity to do what it takes to learn. But the lion share of his dying enthusiasm I blamed on his teacher. This well meaning lady's style of instruction consisted of methodically working through principles of music theory and technique by practicing lifeless, outdated music. She also put a great deal of pressure on the kids to participate in local piano competitions and recitals. I suspected she was concerned less with what the children gained from the experience than with promoting her piano lesson business in the local community. Neither of these approaches worked well with my son.

So after Jordan’s adamant announcement we decided to switch tracks. After a brief hiatus we found another piano instructor with a decidedly different approach to music instruction.

What a refreshing change it was. The first thing this teacher asked when the kids walked into her house was what kind of music they enjoyed. "That’s the music", she said with a smile, "you're going to play." Over the next several months of lessons we were impressed that this instructor seemed less concerned that our kids master the mechanics of the music they played than that they be sufficiently motivated by their enjoyment in playing it.

Her reasoning was simple. If you teach the love of music, interest will be maintained over time, and the rest, the method, correct technique, will come naturally. If you teach method first, the love will die, and eventually, so will the learning.

I believe there is a lot of wisdom in that approach. I immediately saw the fruits of it in my children, particularly my son. They couldn't wait to get to the music store to pick out their music and get to the piano.

I think it would pay for our churches to apply this approach in it's efforts to teach it's members children about God. I’ve seen too many Bible school curriculums that jump immediately into the mechanics; the “what” of our faith; without first teaching the “why.” Absent that context; absent an active relationship to build on; the "what" just becomes information.

How much greater would be our success if we strived first to instill in our children a loving relationship with God before funneling lists of memory scriptures and doctrinal statements into their heads. If our children develop a love for God, interest in a relationship with Him will be maintained, and the rest will come naturally. They will want to read His book. They will want to be where other members of His family are. They will want to please Him. It’s that simple.

My son did a great job at the recital. Oh yes, he hit a wrong key a few times... but it was all music to my ears. This time he left the stage with a smile instead of a grimace. He’s learning a skill that will bring him enjoyment the rest of his life…and he’s loving it. I couldn’t be more proud.

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"I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word." Psalms 119:15 - 16

Unrighteous Judgment

Zacarias Moussaoui was sentenced to life in prison this week for his role in the death of the 2,973 people who died on 9/11. It was reported that as part of a plea that Moussaoui not to be given the death penalty, his defense team cited his dysfunctional childhood. Apparently, the fact that he didn’t have a good relationship with his dad is supposed to make us feel more charitable with regard to the punishment that should be meted out for his heinous crime.

Although, the decision for me was disappointing, I wasn’t surprised. It’s a sad refrain that unfortunately is all too often spouted these days as an excuse for the perverse and evil actions of some of the vilest people in our society. If all else fails in their defense; blame their upbringing.

The idea that suffering past abuse or dysfunction automatically predisposes one to a twisted value system is ludicrous. Even more preposterous is the notion that this reasoning can and should be used to justify or excuse behavior arising from that value system.

Although I don’t know for sure, it would seem to me very probable that Hitler had a less than perfect childhood. If true, should history excuse his actions or reduce our collective sentence on Him as a result? Conversely, I have read that the boys who killed their fellow students so unmercifully in the Columbine tragedy grew up in very balanced, loving homes. The point? Past events and circumstances cannot, should not, be considered a reliable indicator of, let alone an excuse for, current abhorrent behavior.

We have the choice what values we will live by. Joshua 24:15 tells us to” choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Rom 6:16 says, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Implicit in these passages is the idea that regardless of our past, we have the ability to choose the values we will serve now.

In my library at home I have a series of books by David Pelzer. The first installment in the series is titled “A Child Called It". In this and subsequent books by Mr. Pelzer, he details how he was systematically abused by his parents from an early age. Most of his subsequent adolescent life was spent being shipped from one foster home to the next. Some of these homes weren’t much better than what he experienced at the hands of his birth parents. Yet, somehow David rose above it. Rather than repeating the cycle of abuse with his own family…he chose to go in a totally opposite direction. He now travels the country seeking to help other children who suffer as he did.

David Pelzers’ story is not an aberration. There are plenty of similar stories of people who despite terrible circumstances determined they weren’t going to repeat the cycle of their past. It’s altogether possible that the guy or gal who stops to hold the door for you at the at the local grocery store may be a victim of an abusive childhood.

The Bible doesn’t give Christians the luxury of hiding behind our past. We are told in Romans 6:23 that "the wages of sin is death." There’s no indication here that God distinguishes between what caused the sin. Regardless of what the cause, we are responsible, and the penalty is the same in all cases.

I can’t imagine on that final judgement day if anyone will get too far with God the Father and Jesus Chrsit by launching into a litany of past hurts and abuses in an attempt to reduce the severity of their sentence. I just don’t think it will fly. No one else’s name will be on the page but their own. It’s not only fair, it’s righteous judgment.

It’s a standard of judgment that we can only wish would be applied to the Zacarias Moussaoui’s of this world.

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"I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word." Psalms 119:15 - 16