Overcoming Obstacles

Playing the flute in church to worship with instead of singing is relaxing to me. However, it wasn’t always that easy. Lessons started for me in fourth grade but I was asked to switch my sophomore year to french horn. I know, going from a woodwind to brass seemed strange to me too, but learning another instrument captivated me.

Obstacle #1. In my late 20’s, I attended a church with a praise and worship band. Seeing the guitars and drums wet my appetite for my flute. Twelve years had passed, though, since I had taken it out of its dusty case. On my days off work, I began pulling it out and seeing if it worked properly. I couldn’t even remember how to put it together at first, nor the fingerings. Within a couple of minutes, I remembered how to put it together, but took several days to remember all the fingerings and note names. The memory obstacle of not playing so many years was overcome.

Obstacle #2. The music minister of that church invited me to their Saturday practices. I was unable to read most of the sheet music perched on the music stand due to my vision from the eye disease, Retinitis Pigmentosa. It took lots of effort and some extra cash, but I photocopied music staff lines and hand wrote every note of every song using a felt-tipped marker. Problem-solved so this obstacle was overcome too.

Obstacle #3. Too much vision loss had ended my copying career and I couldn’t play by ear at all. Now married and at a new church, I began desiring to play again. I’m not sure if I just missed playing, or if it was courage rising within, but maybe God could teach me to play by ear if I prayed hard enough. Thanks to a dulcimer and trumpet, I felt like I could practice without anyone hearing me. Somehow, during these attempts, God enabled me to play by ear matching the singers voices. I was a happy flutist once again. Another obstacle overcome.

Obstacle #4. As soon as my confidence arrived, we left. God called my husband to start pastoring a small church a few miles away. The congregation had seniors only, and one piano player. I wanted to play, but never had heard of nor played any hymns. This time, the only way to overcome was Pure effort and practice. I had to choose not to give up.

The absence of musicians and the eagerness and acceptance of these sweet people encouraged me to move forward. Nervously, and with prayer, I practiced live, clumsily fumbling through the first few verses. By the last verse, I got most of the song right. Yes, I felt like quitting, but they needed more music than a piano, so I persevered. And, it took months for some songs – years for others, but eventually this obstacle was overcome as well.

I’m not a professional by any means, but learning to overcome so many obstacles has given me courage to try new songs on the fly with different people. Fear isn’t gone, but I am gutsier.

What have you overcome? How hard was it for you?

© 2015, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.