You know those big conventions that have workshops, exhibit booths, and lots of chaos? This may sound funny, but I love speaking at conventions like that. One main reason is that I know it will come with the opportunity to hang out with and learn from the other speakers.
But some time ago, it was the assistant of a Christian speaker who absolutely captivated my attention with a remarkable story. To protect privacy I won’t name the speaker, but the person is known worldwide as having a powerful gift for communication. Everything this person says just flows.
This person’s assistant told me something behind the scenes. They were on a multi-country tour, and the assistant went to knock on the speaker’s hotel room door to head out for the day’s event. But suddenly, the assistant heard what sounded like discussion inside the hotel room. So the assistant waited … and waited … and the speaker didn’t stop talking.
Finally, the assistant heard a few words and realized … wait a minute, that is a section from their usual speech! This speaker, who routinely has audiences in the absolute palm of their hand, and who had given this talk dozens of times, was … practicing.
“I have to practice,” the speaker told the assistant. “Everybody thinks it comes naturally, and maybe there’s some of that. But I have to practice it right ahead of time, if I want it to come out right onstage.”
Here’s this truly anointed speaker practicing—with the intent of practicing it right. Not just memorizing words, but the perfect voice inflection, excitement, pauses, and intention in order to serve the audience well.
It made me think of a devotion I wrote on “perfect practice” in my recently re-released devotional Find Joy. Practice is not just about “practice makes perfect” like we’ve so often been told. It’s practicing the right things correctly.
Like living a life of gratitude and joy, for example.
It’s not just about something tangible, like practicing a speech, or a golf swing, or a particular way of creating widgets for your family business. It’s also about practicing a good attitude and a mindset that will serve us well.
I’ll let the devotion tell the rest. Then, next week, we’ll outline what to do about it.
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