EVERYDAY ADVENTURES

Feline Forte

Everyone in my family plays an instrument except for me and the dog. My wife and oldest daughter play the violin. My youngest daughter plays the flute and guitar, and a few months ago our cat started playing the piano.

Actually he learned it from my youngest who had taken up piano along with her other instruments. When my daughter started taking piano lessons, we crammed an old upright into her bedroom because we didn’t have room for it anywhere else in our house. It sat there for a year and a half before the cat discovered it.

I should probably also mention he only plays at night after everyone has gone to bed. You know how temperamental musicians can be.

I should probably also mention he only plays at night after everyone has gone to bed. You know how temperamental musicians can be.

The first time he did it, I almost had a heart attack. I’m always the last one up so every night I go into my daughter’s room, turn out the lights, read her a Bible verse from my phone and pray with her before I leave.

It was during one of these bedtime routines the cat decided our prayers needed musical accompaniment. The room was pitch black. Our eyes were closed. Then suddenly BUM,DUM, PLUNK, BUM!

My daughter and I both jumped and screamed. You would think this would scare the cat away, but apparently, once you discover a love for music, you just can’t stop. He leapt to the top of the piano and a few minutes later came back for an encore.

We thought it was just a fluke until a couple of days later when he did it again and then the next week again and again and again. Sometimes I think he practices more than my daughter does.

My favorite performance was the night he sat on the bench just staring at the sheet music a couple of minutes before he started playing. His fluffy head kept turning back and forth like he was actually reading it. But then, it was BUM, DUM, PLUNK, BUM again. Apparently he preferred the classics.

Not long ago, I was bragging about him to my friend Eric, who is a gifted pianist.

“So how is he?” Eric asked.

I said, “Well, considering he hasn’t had a single lesson and doesn’t have opposable thumbs, I think he’s pretty good.”

Of course, if I compared his ability to Eric’s, he wouldn’t stack up so well, but compared to other felines, he’s really quite accomplished. In fact, I can honestly say I’ve never met a cat who plays better than mine.

Of course, if I compared his ability to Eric’s, he wouldn’t stack up so well, but compared to other felines, he’s really quite accomplished. In fact, I can honestly say I’ve never met a cat who plays better than mine.

At the end of the day, however, no one’s going to come see him in concert. It doesn’t really matter that he’s better than other cats. His “music” is still just a bunch of noise.

That’s how the comparison game works, though. If I want to feel good about myself, or about my cat, all I have to do is find someone who looks worse.

Sure, I’m not perfect, but, hey, at least I’m not as bad as THAT person. No matter how low our self esteem is we can always find someone to feel superior to if we look hard enough.

Unfortunately, that cuts both ways. No matter how much we grow or progress in life, we can always find someone who seems to have it more together than us.

Unfortunately, that cuts both ways. No matter how much we grow or progress in life, we can always find someone who seems to have it more together than us.

Maybe that’s why the Bible warns us against comparing ourselves with others. It’s a subjective standard that leads us to either pride or despair.

It’s much wiser to invite God to evaluate our lives, show us where we need to grow and encourage us along the way.

Compared to his perfect standard we all fall about as short as a piano playing cat auditioning as a concert pianist. Yet God loves us and gives us the grace to have a relationship with him we could never earn and grow in ways we could never imagine on our own.

So when your best efforts seem as clumsy as furry paws on a keyboard, don’t settle for the comparison game. Instead, put yourself in the hands of the master musician and get ready to be amazed at the beautiful music he can make through you. •

Phogo credit:  Giancarlo Polacchini / shutterstock.com