When I was in high school, I competed in Bach and Sonata piano competitions that took place at the local university. In those days, I practiced piano after school for almost 2 hours a day. I put that time in and memorized the pieces, learned the ways to stretch my hands to cover more than an octave on the keys, made the crescendos and pianissimos part of my soul. This is really where I learned about practice.

As the parent of an athletic young person, I’m often driving my child to her team or group practices. I imagine that this is how many of us think about what it means to practice something. You keep doing something over and over – maybe every day or every couple of days. You don’t always want to do it or feel like doing it. Sometimes it’s more challenging than fun. 

The idea is to get better. To become more proficient at something. Maybe to win – the next game, match or competition. Or to take something more private or individual into a more public setting. Or, as I’ve learned over time, to develop muscle memory so I can do this even when I’m not thinking hard about it or feeling warm and fuzzy about it.

It doesn’t take long to learn that the expression “practice makes perfect” is … well … a lie.

Because there is no perfect. 

No matter how much or long we practice anything, we are human. We make mistakes. There are variations in performances or execution. And a gazillion variables we can’t control. 

And honestly it bothers me that some professions with high stakes are referred to as a “practice.” Like the practice of law or practicing medicine. “Um, how about you not practice on me, but get it right.” It’s hard for me to admit that we can’t usually attain or guarantee a “right,” in those contexts.

I do find that comforting in the realm of spirituality and relationship with God. There is no perfect. Or right. We don’t do “spiritual practices” expecting they will always lead to a “win.” It’s not always a feel-good moment. 

For many people, Lent is a time to be a good pious person. More church services, better prayers, greater focus on God. A time to learn more about your faith tradition. I think it’s a good time to develop a spiritual practice. But not the kind where you’re trying to get better or even proficient – because I’m not sure that God thinks about our spiritualities that way. (I don’t think we should think about our spiritualities that way.) 

Spiritual practices are one way of paying attention to our faith. Giving it some time. Letting the ups and downs, silence and exuberance all become part of who we are. Most of us weren’t taught how to practice being spiritual. Or maybe we were taught only one way. Or we were taught that it will get us to some kind of holy goal. Or that spirituality has to be felt. That’s often me.

I share some of my favorite spiritual practices in my program for Lent. Most are reflective and non-traditional. These spiritual practices don’t require 2 hours a day (because ain’t nobody got time for that these days). And there’s no recital, game or competition at the end. You can learn about here: 40DayFaith.com. It starts with Lent on Wednesday!

In case you’re wondering, I was not so great at piano competitions. I was prepared … but my nerves usually got the better of me. Turns out, I just like playing the piano for my own joy and sense of connection to something larger than me. And because I practiced so much when I was younger, there are still Bach inventions and Mozart sonatas that I can play pretty well. My fingers just seem to know where to go when I sit down before the keys.

I hope that spiritual disciplines work that way. That ultimately, they give us joy, connection and help us develop some spiritual muscle memory. So that godly connection kicks in when we want or need it most. Or even when we least expect it.