1st chair tests

Back in middle school and high school I played the french horn. I will never forget our first chair test. For those of you who were not in band, a chair test was a particular piece of music that all the same instruments were given to be given an order for the next concert. Whoever performed it best would be 1st chair, and whoever performed it 2nd best would be 2nd chair, and so on.

My first chair test was in 6th grade after a couple of weeks learning the basics. All we had to do was play a concert F (actually a C for the french horn). After all the horns played we got our placement. Our director told me I was given 1st chair. I was shocked-really me?! After class I asked her why did I deserve 1st and she told me that I had articulated the start of my note well (well enough for a 6th grader...), played the right note, and held it steady.

The next several chair tests I was consistently one of the top chairs. Late in my 6th grade year we had a chair test for a piece that was more challenging. My chair test was not as successful as I would have hoped for, so I was given one of the last chairs. I was so upset with myself and the situation. I practiced like all the dozens of times before, but it did not go the way I thought it would.

There are times in our lives that we pray and do all the right things and those prayers seem to be answered in the way we hoped for. Then, there are times that we do everything right and God gives us an answer we do not like. What I have to remind myself is that God is not a vending machine. It is not a case that I push a button and get what I want every time. There will be times that an answer is "no" or come in a way that I did not anticipate even if I did everything "right."

Thankfully, I did not just give up after that chair test. I continued on and the next time I was one of the top chairs again. As time went on, there were times that I was not the top chair again and there were times I was one of the top chairs. Just like with our prayer life, we have to always press on. Even when it looks bleak and God does not give us the answers we want or were hoping for. His plan is bigger than a single prayer of ours.

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Father in Heaven,

Thank you for all the gifts you have given to me through answered prayers. Give me the graces to accept the prayers that had been answered in a way that I did not like or understand your bigger meaning behind. Allow me the strength to continue to persevere in my prayer. 

Amen.

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Simply a little pencil in God's hand,

Elizabeth