Practicing

I sat on the couch with my youngest as she practiced her reading.  She is still struggling with the small little word “the”.  As we come to it again she tries to sound it out and I tell her this is just one of those words you have to memorize.  It doesn’t sound out.  And we keep reading.  Keep practicing.

We do it with spelling words, parts of speech and multiplication tables.  In biology, it is classifications, in chemistry it is the element chart.  We are all practicing. Drilling in information or concepts that are needed.  Needed to take us to the next.

“Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation.”

These words are profound to me.  I want so much to realize Truth and have it be so.  Yet, it takes practice.  Simply knowing is not enough.  I have to let it be so.  I have to practice. Just like my 5 year old must practice reading to become a better reader.  Just like my 5^th grader must practice fractions for them to become easier.  Just like my 8^th grader practices her algebra to get better at equations.  Just like my 9^th grader drills kingdoms, phylum, class, families, etc. to better understand life.  Just like my college student memorizes body functions I never knew existed and I don’t understand to get into a nursing program. 

Practice is the hardest part of learning.

For the lessons that God is teaching me I must practice.  I must practice His grace.  I must practice His truth.  I must practice thanksgiving.

And this training is the essence of transformation.