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Mitch Todd About Mitch

Practicing Christians

Do you know what muscle memory is? It's where you teach certain muscles to perform complicated movements without a lot of conscious action on your part. I learned about this in college, taking piano lessons. There were certain passages that were so hard that if I'd stopped to think about it, I'd have messed up. Thank God my hands just took over and did the work for me.

Of course, that didn't always work. I remember at one student recital I was playing a Bach invention by memory. I hadn't practiced enough, and as I reached the end of the piece I completely blanked out. Instead of finishing the piece correctly, my hands instinctively played a jazzy blues riff instead! It seems my hands had spent more time jamming with my friends then practicing my Bach.

This muscle memory business is on my mind because over the holidays I found myself playing ping pong with my brother, my dad, and my uncle. Doubles ping pong is kind of hard if you're left handed like I am, because you have to serve in an awkward position. I'd learned to overcome that handicap decades ago, but this year I ran into trouble. It was like my hands had forgotten how to serve. Ball after ball went too long, or over the line. We laughed about it but inside I was frustrated. What happened to my muscle memory?

I knew exactly what had happened. I lost it because I hadn't practiced. In the year since I'd last played ping pong with these guys, I had barely lifted a paddle. Apparently having a ping pong table down in your basement isn't enough. You have to use it.

So I was thinking about this muscle memory stuff, and it reminded me of what people go through at the beginning of a new year. It's like a giant reset for most of us, moving from 2008 to 2009. People are returning to their jobs after Christmas break. Students are on their way back to a new semester of school. Christians, flush with the joy of the season, are getting back to the day-to-day business of following Jesus.

How's your muscle memory? Do your feet remember where you're supposed to be headed? Do your lips call out the right names of the people you pass in the hallway? And what about your hands? Have they remembered how to serve?

The key to muscle memory — and discipleship — is practice. Apparently having the Joy of Jesus down in your heart isn't enough. You have to use it.

Did you ever notice that there's no difference between being a disciple, and practicing discipleship? Funny, huh? The simple act of trying to be a disciple qualifies you as one. As disciples, you and I are supposed to be in continual training...always practicing, always improving our serve.

Did you use your faith much in 2008? If not, then maybe 2009 will be the year for you retrain your muscles. Practice your serve, over and over again, and it will begin to feel natural. Practice faithfulness and it will become a way of life.

We may hit a few wrong notes or a few wrong serves along the way, but that's to be expected for Practicing Christians like you and I.

Come to think of it...

Is there any other kind?

Have a Great Week,

Mitch
rmitchelltodd@yahoo.com