Learned a way from playing piano

While I was teaching a little girl the piano at her lesson, I realized a same method between how to play piano well and how to live well in this world; fix our eyes on the Lord. well... for piano case, fix our eyes on the score not the keyboard. My student had a hard time not to press wrong keys and she was only looking at the keyboard. I told her "Trust that your fingers will follow your eyes, believe or not! and just look at the score and read it through. Your fingers will follow your eyes." Tada~ yes, it worked! I think that is the way that I have live in this world. Fix my eyes to the Lord only! not in the world, not in my circumstances, not among people but only the Lord.
At Hebrews 12:2, we find the word; "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Even though we know so well that we have to look up only but why we fail so often?
Lately, I fix my eyes on this world, especially my circumstance all the time to figure things out. Sadly, there is no answer in this level. The answers can be found in the above! Ironically, whenever we face to difficult times, we have a tendency to find answers nearby in our circumstances, and ask questions to people to get the right answer. When my piano student get more confused, she never look up to find answer from the score. Rather, she looks only to the keyboard and tries to figure it out without the right answer!
God has told me to look up, fix my eyes upon Him only. None can give the answer to lead me to live well in this world.
It is also similar at the choir too. Whenever the choir gets lost, most choir members look only the score to figure it out where they are. They should have looked at the conductor who could tell them where the answer is! The choir mostly don't have time to have an eye contact with the conductor, and get worse. I know the situation so well because I have done that. However, when I look to the conductor, I could go back where I got lost right away.
So, the number one tip to live well in this world is "fixing our eyes upon the Lord!!"

Getting Free stuff

Do you like to get free samples at Costco? I do. Not only free samples, I do like get free anything. I don't know why but I like to get stuff as free. However, I have noticed that when I get something free, I usually do not give much attention to them. If I drop it on the way, I just do not have much feeling and throw away easily.
I had a chance to talk to several musician friends who teach music. We all agree that if we give free lessons, both students and parents usually don't pay attention to practice enough or even keep the lesson time on time. So, some of my friends have to make them pay, even though they pay less with their financial status. I did give some free lessons before with people who could not afford paying the lesson fees, and could tell you that for sure I agree totally with my friends! I should have asked them pay some. It never success; either they quit the lessons without telling me, or did not show up on time.

Some people even want to pay more to buy famous brands' products such as shoes, bags, clothes etc; as I heard, if the price is too low for the brand, people don't purchase them. So, the store manager told me once that they have to make the price higher than normal brands. Isn't it interesting?

I have thought about my salvation. It is given us as free. We did not do anything to get that. However, it is given through God's grace and mercy. Maybe because it is given as free, people have a tendency put the faith whenever they feel like. If the weather is too good to be inside, they skip worship services and go to outdoor to play. If it rains, they rather stay in bed a little bit longer for their comfort. If there is a soccer game in the afternoon, they want to spend an easy hours of morning time at home instead. I have thought about with the matters. What if we make people paying to get the salvation? I know in the middle age era, churches sold the ticket to the heaven. It was not right and I know totally well about it but still I think we are taking an advantage His grace and mercy. Don't you think?

It is not easy to give great priority and value without paying for anything. However, Jesus paid it all for us. That is the part we easily forget about.
Yes, Jesus paid it all.