Traveling the Rock Road

The young boy tried hard not to cry, but still the tears ran hot down his cheeks as he and his mother left the building and started the long walk home. He had been studying music for nearly 2 months when his instructor summoned the mother to a session and informed both that there was no reason to continue lessons. The child just did not possess the aptitude play music, and to continue would be a waste of his time and the mother’s money. She spoke just 2 words, “That’s fine,” then taking her son by the hand they turned and left.

Sitting alone in his room in silence a small voice seemed to whisper in his ears, “You failed again, just give up and forget about it.” Sadly, he began to agree with the voice; after all learning had always come hard to him so why shouldn’t this? The difference this time was he was being told don’t bother trying to learn music, the one thing he loved more than anything, he just didn’t have what it took.

Later his mom came into his room and announced “Tomorrow we’ll start looking for another music teacher.” “But you heard what this one said, I didn’t have talent to play music.” With a touch of anger in her voice she shot back, “He’s wrong and he doesn’t know you like I do. You can play music and you will as long as you don’t give up on yourself. He may have given up on you but I haven’t. I believe in you!”

Well the boy found a teacher who wouldn’t give up on him and over the next 10 years he became proficient as a drummer. From there he made his way back to his first love in music, the guitar, and became accomplished enough to not only play but to teach others on the instrument he had once been told he’d never learn.

Well if you haven’t figured it out by now that young boy was me and it was my mother who believed in me when it seemed like no one else did. I loved that woman dearly for not giving up on me like others had. But looking past the fact she was my mom what was it that drove her to see more than what was present. After all I could hardly read and always lagged behind other kids my age in learning. Add in that I had never played one note of music, it didn’t make sense that she believed I would someday be called a musician. We can sum it up with one word; Faith. When we search for a definition to faith we find this, “A complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” Three synonyms for faith would be “trust, belief and confidence. Mom didn’t need the proof that others look for in determining my abilities, she knew in her heart what I was capable of; she had complete “faith” that I could and I would someday be a musician.

Over the course of my Christian life I have time and again come across ones who want to challenge my belief, demanding I give them solid evidence that a God really does exist. I can use numerous sources to defend my position and have often; but without one key element it’s all for naught. If a person chooses not to believe, not to have faith then all arguments become fruitless, nothing I say will make a difference.

Corrie ten Boom, author and survivor of a Nazi concentration camp puts it this way, ”Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.”

Going all the way back to Adam and Eve, God has given us the right to decide if we want to believe and follow Him or not. He doesn’t force His ways on us but makes Himself known to each of us in a special way. The deciding factor then is ours of whether we choose to believe Him, to have Faith in Him regardless of the fact that we cannot see Him–yet.

Romans 1:16-17 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.”

As this “Traveler of the Rock Road” has aged, he has grown stronger in his appreciation and love of a mother who had “Faith” in him. In turn my “Faith” in a God who loves me has grown stronger and stronger to where I no longer feel I have to prove He’s there, I know He’s there. That’s Faith.

What about you when looking at both subjects; who believed in you, and who do you believe in especially in the realm of eternity? ‘For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him.’ My faith is in my Lord, I pray that yours will be there also.

See ya next time.