A Moment To Praise 2.22.21
Joyce Lochinger, Gravel Hill Worship Leader
Out of My Shell
For most of my young life, I was a quiet and shy person. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true! I can tell you when I started coming out of my shell. It happened when my parents paid for me to take piano lessons. I went to the first few lessons and faithfully did the homework of practicing.
After a few lessons, I heard my piano teacher tell my mother that I had potential to be a good pianist. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I figured it must have been good, because my mom told me in the following weeks that my teacher thought I was doing well. In order to keep doing well, she told me that I needed to keep on practicing.
Pretty soon, I was moving through my piano books with speed and ease and I loved every moment of it. My teacher started telling me that if I kept practicing and doing well on my regular lessons, I could get a book with popular songs to learn how to play. I wanted that more than anything in the world, so I complied.
Sure enough, a few weeks later my teacher gave me a popular song book to learn. I learned the songs and took them with me to school where I made a whole group of friends who asked me to play for them so they could sing. That’s when it happened – the instant end of my shyness. I felt valued by my peers, and I felt like I belonged. I was known as the girl that could play the piano. With gratitude, I always thanked my piano teacher for helping me to come out of my shell, but she also did another thing.
A New Sharing
She asked me after I told her all of playing I was doing if I felt like I could play in one other place: church. That started my lifelong journey of playing the piano in church and serving Him with the gifts that God had given to me. It also gave me some of my most valued lifelong friends in Christ sharing music together.
Remember that you have a gift to share with God’s people, too. If you can clean, volunteer to help someone in need. Do you bake or cook? Help to make food for others. If you can sing or play an instrument, volunteer to go to the nursing homes in the area and sing with their residents. If you have a good listening ear, be a friend.
A Moment To Praise 2.22.21 in Scripture
The first song I ever played in church for congregational singing was, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”. Follow the example of Christ, and be a friend to others because he has called you friends. Don’t forget to use your gifts for his kingdom. That’s the best way to gain friends in Christ.
A Moment To Praise 2.22.21 in Song
Enjoy this beautiful version of “What A Friend We Have In Jesus“.
| What A Friend We Have In Jesus (Lyric Video) | Celtic Worship
Debut Album ‘Homeward’ |
And have a blessed day!
Joyce
