Perfection

Perfection is the only thing that is good enough. No "almost" or "very close." Nothing but absolute perfection. No excuses. That is the goal that drives every minute of practice, every lesson, every performance. And it is a very elusive goal. No matter how hard I work at piano and how much progress I make, I still fall so short of the ultimate goal. It is hard not to be discouraged by that fact sometimes. However, it is just the reality of this career. As soon as you master one skill or one aspect of a piece, there is something else to improve or learn or fix. The layers and possibilities for improvement are endless. And, the parts you have already "mastered" can easily slip back into imperfection. Unlike an artist, who works and works to produce the perfect painting or photograph or sculpture but then once they have created it, it is there more or less permanently, as a pianist, you have to recreate perfection every time you play. While the impossibility of achieving perfection is daunting, discouraging, and overwhelming, it is also the challenge of it that is part of what make being a pianist so compelling. It also keeps playing the piano from ever being boring. You can ALWAYS be better.

When I think about how no matter how hard I try, I still fall so short of perfection, I cannot help but think of how that is true just in general in life. "We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God." No matter how hard I work, I will never arrive, never be good enough. That is why God sent Jesus - to be perfection for us. When we accept Jesus, He covers our inadequacy with His perfection. And, He is constantly working in us and through us to help us live out that perfection in our day to day lives. One day, I will be in heaven, where I will be completely sanctified and perfected - both as a person and as a pianist.