I got into playing the guitar unexpectedly and suddenly. I got out of it slowly, as if my desire had a slow leak. But at a recent visit to a guitar shop my faith in the instrument was restored, and I learned a lesson far more valuable than any hobby.
In high school I thought guitars were the sappiest instrument in existence, usually learned only to woo women. (I still think that’s often the case.) But my freshman year of college I began experimenting with a friend’s guitar anyway. Surprisingly, I loved it. I played so enthusiastically that sometimes my strumming finger bled.
But you know how it goes. Time passed. Eventually I didn’t get the same thrill when I sat down to play. Sometimes tuning seemed like such a pain that playing wasn’t worth it, or it seemed like I would only ever be able to play the same three songs. Somehow or another the guitar started spending more days in the case than on my lap. Sometimes weeks passed before I’d pick it up again, and my fingers got soft. “Well, it was a good run,” I began to think. “Maybe that phase of my life is over.”
Sad story, huh? Well, things got better when I decided to go with my friend to a guitar shop last Monday. Turned out this was not your typical all-purpose music store–no flutes here, no pianos, not even a selection of sheet music. This was a guitar shop, and they took their craft seriously.1There were artsy pictures on the wall of guitars being built, and I learned that the owner himself is a luthier (maker of string instruments). There was a raised area in the showroom where they host performances. What I’m trying to say is this place was cool. I was awed. I washed my hands—company policy—and even got to play a professional-sounding, finely tuned gem. As my friend and I left the music store I felt refreshed and revitalized in my determination to keep developing my guitar skill.
This is where the interesting lesson comes in; it occurred to me as my friend and I drove back to the apartment. Gordon B. Hinkley, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995-2008, taught that while it was good that people were coming into the Church, it was pointless unless they stuck with it. He outlined three things that everyone needs if they are going to stick with the Church:
1. A friend who will walk beside them, answer questions, and understand difficulties
2. An assignment to get them actively exercising their faith and love for the Lord
3. Nourishment “by the good word of God” 2
My interest in playing the guitar, which had once brought me so much happiness, was nearly derailed because I lacked similar things:
1. I didn’t have a mentor to guide and encourage me
2. I wasn’t accountable to practice on my own
3. I was not regularly exposed to excellent guitar playing and environments where the craft is properly appreciated
That lesson is far-reaching, and I hope we all relate to it. I’ve been a member of the LDS church for a long time, and had so much peace and happiness as a result. But my life isn’t over yet—I need to remember to pay attention and always nurture my faith because I don’t want it to dry up. I have good friends who joined the Church much more recently, and who haven’t had time to put down deep roots so their position is even more precarious; what valuable advice this is for them. I also have good friends who are Christian, and who are of different faiths and churches. I hope that they’ll also do what they need to do to keep their relationship with God vibrant (prayer is always a great place to start.)
I think it’s encouraging to know these things will help me reach my goals. I anticipate looking back at the end of my life with strong, developed faith, and able–figuratively and literally speaking—to play more than “Wonderwall” on the guitars in heaven.3
Notes
2. See Gordon B. Hinckley, “Find the Lambs, Feed the Sheep”, Ensign, April 1999
3.Wonderwall is a song by the British band Oasis, released on 30 November, 1995.
Exercise In Sight 