If I am going to play beautiful music I need to practice. If I am going to play beautiful music in harmony with you, I have to practice my keys and then I need to practice harmonizing my keys with yours. We then practice playing together in harmony so that we don’t end in discord.
The Key to “getting it right” and the path to maturity requires me to practice in every tuff, real life scenario:
The strange sounding scripture tells me to “count it all joy when all kinds of trials and tribulations come my way.” What that scripture is actually telling me is that trials and tribulations are my time to practice staying in relationship. Joy is relational and if I am able to stay in relation when all kinds of frustrating things happen, then I am actually maturing and my capacity is being expanded. I can now handle bigger trials and tribulation without shutting down relationally. God wants me to draw closer to Him; not distance myself from Him. He is relationally with me through it all!
When I see God giving me practice times and I stay relational, I know that I am “getting it right.”