Everything in life requires time to grow. Since the day the Lord created the birds and the fish, the trees and mountains, the rivers and seas, the beasts and humans, nothing else have ever been completed instantly. New creations now begin in a seed form that must be nurtured to maturity. There is no such thing as overnight success.
Before Johann Sebastien Bach composed sublime musical pieces on the piano, he first learned piano notes. Before William Shakespeare wrote epic poetry and prose, he first had to learn the alphabet. Likewise, before giants of the faith modeled an exemplary life of godliness, they first began with a mustard seed faith.
Knowing this has tremendously encouraged me in my pursuit of playing the piano and writing well. But more importantly, it has inspired me in my pursuit of holiness. Inasmuch as Bach and Shakespeare weren’t born skilled pianists or writers, Christians are not born again perfectly holy. Our past sins are too fresh, the world’s allure too strong, and the ignorance of God’s Word too deep. We are like newborn babies who must learn to grow and conform to the glorious image of Christ.
And as with learning the piano and writing, growing in godliness takes time and work.
Laying the foundation
Growing, whether in playing the piano, writing, or sanctification, begins with basic understanding and proper technique. The foundation we build will determine how or if we grow. A strong foundation leads to a robust edifice, but a building built on a weak foundation will crumble under pressure.
When I decided to relearn the piano almost two years ago, I knew it was crucial to begin by acquiring the correct technique. Therefore, I practiced my scales, fingering, and other tedious exercises before every session to build finger strength and agility. For writing, I needed a solid command of English Grammar. So I spent time learning long-forgotten grammatical rules and doing writing exercises to sharpen my writing.
Growing in godliness also requires knowing the elementary doctrines of the faith. And we get this from studying the Holy Scriptures. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete (2 Tim 3:16-17). So it is crucial we also learn the proper techniques to read and interpret it well. We must do our best to present ourselves to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15).
But let’s face it, the fundamentals are not always exciting, and we often want to skip to the fun stuff. We immediately want to play complicated piano pieces, write books, or live radically for God. But taking time to build a strong foundation will help us in the long run.
When I see my hand movements getting less sloppy and my fingers stronger, I know it was worth doing those tedious exercises. When I edit my articles and recognize sloppy writing, I know it was worth the time to learn different grammatical rules. Likewise, it is not always exciting to learn the principles of hermeneutics or how to read different biblical genres. But when we read our Bibles, carefully exegete a text, and discover rich truths, we know it was well worth the effort.
A proper diet
Growing in any area requires at least four essential ingredients to facilitate the process.
Discipline
It takes extensive work to become skilled, and we need a measure of self-discipline to show up every day. To improve my piano skills, I must practice for at least an hour daily and work on improvisation, music theory, sight-reading, ear training, etc. To refine my writing, I must also spend time writing and editing my pieces daily. Likewise, to grow in godliness, we must train ourselves. We must discipline ourselves in the words of faith and sound doctrine (1 Tim 4:6) by reading, studying, meditating, memorizing, and applying Scripture daily.
1 Timothy 4:7-8 says, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
Direction
To our discipline, we must also add direction. As Donald Whitney says, “discipline without direction is drudgery.” As believers, everything we do has an end goal, glorify God. So as we pick up new habits, we must do so with this purpose and remember it when we feel discouraged. My why for learning the piano is worship. I want to play and (and maybe compose) hymns for my church and family. And my purpose for writing is to proclaim the excellencies of Christ and edify His body. When learning the piano feels too hard or writing seems pointless, I remember my goals, and it keeps me going.
Likewise, we must not discipline ourselves to read and apply Scripture aimlessly. It is a means to an end, to know Christ and conform to His glorious image (Romans 8:29). We must remember our why to press on toward the goal and win the prize of the upward call of God in Christ (Phil 3:14).
Dependence
Unless the Lord raises a house, the builders labor in vain (Psalm 127:1). It is the Lord who produces fruits in our lives, and if we want to grow in godliness, we must depend on His Spirit. As Phil 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” It also applies to other areas of life because we need the Holy Spirit’s help in everything we do. Every inclination, gift, talent, passion, skill, or ability is from God (James 1:7).
Therefore, we need His help to develop our gifts and use them for His glory. Sebastian Bach is a great example here. He signed all his compositions with SDG (Soli Deo Gloria) at the bottom but wrote at the top JJ for Jesu Juva (Jesus, help).
Delight
Finally, we should delight in our work. Joy lightens our load and makes our tasks more manageable. Not to mention serves as a powerful motivator. One reason I gave up on the piano in my youth was that I didn’t enjoy it. I also avoided writing for years because I found it boring. But now, I revel in both, and I often practice my craft just for the joy of it.
Colossians 3:23 says, “in whatever we do, work heartily as to the Lord.” When we know that everything we do is for the Lord and He takes pleasure in our work, it should bring us great delight in continuing. As Eric Liddell said in Chariots of Fire, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
Patience in the process
Growth takes time. Even with a solid foundation and a healthy diet, we will eventually experience periods of stagnation and perhaps even regression. In such seasons, I often feel like giving up.
Right now, on the piano, I struggle with improving my hand coordination, e.g., chords in one hand and melody in the other. In writing, I rarely see an improvement. I can’t seem to write with precision and beauty as I desire. I sometimes stare at my piano and computer screen and wonder if I am wasting my time. If I am kidding myself thinking I can be a talented writer or piano player. I wonder if I have reached the apex of my abilities, and it is not much.
I face similar discouragement spiritually. Sometimes I can’t see any evidence of spiritual growth in my life. My failures are constantly before me. I fall back into the same sins I thought I had overcome, and I wonder if I will ever be the godly woman I strive to be. But this is when I forcibly remind myself to be patient and persevere. I am at the beginning of a long journey and must accept that change will come slowly. Borrowing from Gal 6:9, We must not get weary of sowing; when the time is right, we will eventually reap so long as we do not give up.
I have, of course, no guarantee that I will ever write or play the piano as well as I want, but I have this blessed assurance that I will be perfectly godly.
One day, Christ will return and transform our lowly corruptible bodies to become like His glorious, incorruptible body. And on that day, our growth in godliness will be complete, and we will be free of sin forever. (Who knows, maybe my glorified body will come with perfect writing and piano skills.) But until then, we must be patient and keep sowing one seed at a time.
Go together
Community fosters growth. God designed us to do life with one another. As an African proverb says, “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” When we surround ourselves with people who have similar goals to ours, it makes a significant difference in our journey. I was fortunate to join two such communities, comprising Christian writers and adult piano learners. In both groups, members encourage one another, give and request feedback on our work, and celebrate milestones. Being part of these communities has been a blessing in my attempt to hone my craft!
And it is even more crucial to have a spiritual community to grow in godliness. Ecclesiastes 4:9-13 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
The Christian life is better and more fruitful with others. We need to be in fellowship with other believers to learn from one another (Proverbs 27:17), encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13), pray for one another (James 5:16), tell each other the truth (Eph 4:15), and bear each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).
We have a powerful enemy who doesn’t want us to be holy and bear fruits. And we can only defeat him with the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the people of God.
The day of small things is not only natural but promising. Small things are living things. Let them alone, and they will grow.
Charles Spurgeon
Growing in godliness is a lot like learning the piano or writing. Our skills are choppy initially, it requires a lot of work and dedication to progress, and the results are not immediately visible. But when we persevere little by little, step by step, play the next note, and write the next word, then transformation will happen. And before we know it, we will be playing sweet melodies and crafting lovely prose to the glory and praise of the living God.
Thank you for this article! I needed this!
Praise God for His providence!