I’ve been teaching piano lessons for almost a year now. Not gonna lie, it’s quite rewarding. Teaching is something that I thought I’d never do, but I actually enjoy it. I don’t think I’d consider it for a full time job, but who knows.
After teaching for only a few months, I started to notice trends with how people treated lessons. I then began to notice a distinct comparison between a student and a Christian.
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The first type of student is the student who rarely comes to lessons. They have a time slot, but something always comes up. A forgotten appointment, a relative in town, a job mishap, a homework assignment, a lack of a ride to the lesson, or simply, they forgot. This student comes to lesson thinking they can cram a month’s work into a 30 minute lesson. They truly care about playing piano, but haven’t come to the point where they care about it enough to make it a priority.
This is also a type of Christian. They rarely come to church. They have a place where they normally sit, they pay their tithes sometimes, but something always comes up. A forgotten appointment, a relative in town, a shift change at work, a homework assignment, a lack of a ride church, a cold, or simply put, they just didn’t feel like coming to church. This Christian thinks they can cram a whole month of the presence of God and Biblical teachings into one service. They truly want to live for God. They know what’s right. They just haven’t arrived to the point where it’s more important to them than anything else.
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The second type of student is the “eh” student. They come to lessons every week. They have their homework with them. They make sure I’m paid (or the parents do). They are there on time, ready to work. However, when the lesson starts, it’s obvious they haven’t done a single thing during the week to prepare for the lesson. They haven’t sit at a piano all week. They didn’t even take out their binder to look at the assignment I gave them. They somehow think they can improve at piano by just being in lessons.
This is the lukewarm Christian. They come to church every week. They bring their Bibles with them every Sunday. They pay their tithes. They are at the church whenever the doors are open. However, when it really comes down to it, they haven’t done a single thing to improve their walk with God during the week. They haven’t prayed. They haven’t read their Bible. They haven’t applied the sermon to their life. They think that by simply being at church, they will somehow have a relationship with God.
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The third type of student is the devoted one. They are at lessons and rarely miss. They prioritize the lessons during the week. They work their appointments and other things going on around when they need to be at lessons. They practice during the week at home. They are texting/calling me to figure out chords and rhythms. They practice at church when there’s an open piano. You can hear them playing at church when nobody’s there. They are researching how to play songs they don’t know how to play. They are used elsewhere because they are improving. They ask questions when they don’t understand. They’re confident. They have it goin’ on.
This is the devoted Christian. A true Christ follower. They are at church and only miss when it’s out of their hands. They prioritize their walk with God. They work their personal lives around the things of God. They talk to God. They read their Bible. On a daily basis. They apply the sermons to their life. You can hear them praying at church when nobody’s there. They call people when they are struggling with something. They have mentors. They have a strong support system to lean on. They pray for God to use them. They are used. They diligently study to understand things they don’t know. They’re confident in who they are in Christ. These are the people who have it goin’ on.
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Which one of God’s students will you be?
