It was a special day, I told Val. He was going to play the guitar for the first time in church. His eyes searched my face for mercy, but I stood my ground. I wanted him to leave his comfort zone and give his best shot for the Lord. I read him; he was ready but he needed a little push. Except for the B minor that sounds a little muffled when he strums through it, I expected him to be just fine. I remember the days when it was my first time. The guitarist had gone to work in Manila, and for quite some time, we tried to sing accapella. And we did it. The choir was having fun with the style, but after a couple of weeks, we got tired of it and wanted to hear a guitar or a piano to accompany us. Alas, the older guys in the youth group have gone to other places leaving us youngsters to take care of ourselves. Somebody had to step up. It had to be me.
That was what, like eight years ago. Eight years ago, I only knew D, A, G, Em, Am, you know, those easy chords. The song we sang “Any Road, Any Cost” which I played for the first time was a great song, but I ruined it. I mean, the choir could really sing; but I failed them. I remember feeling devastated, but I shouldn’t have. I imagine how hard it must be for Val to go through this first in his life but I know he will be just fine. And it was so that after a few Sundays, I was able to come out okay. Just when I had begun to enjoy it, a new guy went to church and he was a prodigy, so I had to step down, happily as he stepped up.
Val is a brave boy. He is the eldest among his siblings, he’s a high school freshman, and as far as I can tell, has not yet reached the growth spurt stage that other boys of his age are already experiencing. In fact, the guitar looked incongruous with his scrawniness, and his short fingers struggled with the C chord. Well, I told myself, David was a very young boy when he defeated Goliath. Actually, it was through the power of God that Goliath was defeated by a pale looking boy who was told to stay away from the battlegrounds as he took take care of his father’s sheep. But God called David, and he couldn’t say no. He was not sure if he will be eaten alive by the Philistine, but he was pretty sure that should he lose the fight, his head will be cut off by the giant. Aside from that, at stake was the freedom of the descendants of Jacob. If the Philistines won, they would enslave the Israelites. If the Israelites won, then the Philistines will serve the Israelites. It was that simple, but the seasoned soldiers were not brave enough to stand up when Goliath called for one champion among them. Who would, right? The answer was simple: Goliath was a fierce warrior, and add monstrous giant to that. He wore a heavy armor, he was strong, he was brave, and he had a big mouth shouting over and over again his mockery against Israel. King Saul sat anxiously on his throne for none of his subjects were brave enough to stand up. His throne, of course, was at stake, too! But there was a boy, David. He was the youngest son of Jesse, and he was a shepherd boy. When God spoke to him, he trusted in the Lord. Besides, he understood what really was at stake: God’s reputation. He did not wish that the Philistines who deified Dagon will triumph over the Israelites who serve the one and only true God. No wonder he is also called “the man after God’s own heart.”
So King Saul tried to dress the scrawny and pale looking David. He gave armors, shields, the works, but David had to step out of them. Aside from the fact that they were extremely heavy, David told King Saul that he could not use those which he had not tested before. With a sling and some smooth river stones, the victory was won.
The service was about to start. Val was to play the guitar in one song, for the piano player would have to play the first one. It turned out that the pianist backed out; for she told me she didn’t know the song. There was no choice left for me.
I tried to recall what I said to Val to encourage him to play. I trembled because though I have practiced the song, I wasn’t used to playing before people other than my family. Compared to playing the guitar, I was absolutely amateurish on the piano! I looked around; there was no one to bail me out. It was then that I knew, I was stepping out of my comfort zone, too, and I couldn’t give up because Val was there, watching my reactions, and quitting would not be good for a teacher. As a teacher, I had the responsibility to practice what I preach, and my credibility will be destroyed if I didn’t. Not that I care about my credibility, but to this child who looks up to me, hey, I have a responsibility! He smiled and took a deep breath. Of course! I reminded myself that we were not singing to entertain. What God desires of me is a heart of worship. True worship is singing even when the circumstances are not so good. My hands were trembling. They were not so good. But I had a God to worship, so I ventured into the trusting zone, that zone where my independence ended and my total dependence upon Him began. I smiled at Val for he was already there. We had a silent agreement to do our best. He smiled back. I pounded the keys with my trembling hands and thanked God for the song.
