Time in the Saddle
A friend of mine refers to practice and experience as "time in the saddle." Some growth don't come without it.
A roommate of mine in college was on a PBS TV reality show that thrust him into the old-west. Dress and all. I actually thought it was kind of boring to watch (not your exhilarating-fakey reality show. Did I just type 'fakey reality?' Yes, that is what TV is quite often). I remember he shared some frustration about the show - he wanted to be 'in the saddle' for real, yet he was forced to be the camp chef. So, as the cowboys drove the cows, he cooked the cows. And he hated it.
And, then, he was given the chance to be a cowboy. Difficulties ensued. The series ended with all the cowboys quitting because of a jerk of a boss.
All that is simply because this roommate's actual experience riding a horse on a real saddle. While it's hard many times to continue on when nothing seems to be happening, changing, moving - there's something to say about commitment and staying the course. I've been doing this worship thing for almost 12 years now...and learning how prayer is mixed with worship for 4. I can tell you, a lot of my growth is information and training. Much more of it is simply allowing H.S. to highlight thoughts and tensions that come up as I ride it out.
But wouldn't it be nice if we could have the instantaneous results of just being plain awesome at what we're doing? OK, realistically, what if it only took a week?
So, if we're frustrated right now, maybe it's time to change course. Or, maybe it's time to just let this take its course, and get some 'time in the saddle'. The saddle gets really uncomfortable sometimes (my saddle is a bar stool).
A roommate of mine in college was on a PBS TV reality show that thrust him into the old-west. Dress and all. I actually thought it was kind of boring to watch (not your exhilarating-fakey reality show. Did I just type 'fakey reality?' Yes, that is what TV is quite often). I remember he shared some frustration about the show - he wanted to be 'in the saddle' for real, yet he was forced to be the camp chef. So, as the cowboys drove the cows, he cooked the cows. And he hated it.
And, then, he was given the chance to be a cowboy. Difficulties ensued. The series ended with all the cowboys quitting because of a jerk of a boss.
(Ok, David, where you going with this?)
All that is simply because this roommate's actual experience riding a horse on a real saddle. While it's hard many times to continue on when nothing seems to be happening, changing, moving - there's something to say about commitment and staying the course. I've been doing this worship thing for almost 12 years now...and learning how prayer is mixed with worship for 4. I can tell you, a lot of my growth is information and training. Much more of it is simply allowing H.S. to highlight thoughts and tensions that come up as I ride it out.
But wouldn't it be nice if we could have the instantaneous results of just being plain awesome at what we're doing? OK, realistically, what if it only took a week?
So, if we're frustrated right now, maybe it's time to change course. Or, maybe it's time to just let this take its course, and get some 'time in the saddle'. The saddle gets really uncomfortable sometimes (my saddle is a bar stool).
Most growth don't come without it.
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