Through middle and high school, I was heavily involved in music, playing trumpet in the band and, senior year, joining my high school a capella and show choirs. Music taught me plenty of things — namely making me better at singing loudly in my car each morning — but what it taught me most was that it can’t ever be mastered.

There is no perfect way to play any piece of music or sing any song. While music has concrete details, such as the notes, time signature and key, the way in which we perceive the quality of a piece’s performance is almost entirely abstract. As such, it can’t really be perfected, no matter if it’s me or Luciano Pavarotti doing the singing.

This is the aspect of the Christian faith that I find myself most interested in as well. From the moment we come to believe in the life and death of Jesus Christ to the moment we pass on to his kingdom, we never conquer or perfect following him.

I’m not sure about you, but that really excites me, both as an impeccably average former musician, and as a growing Christian.

The work God continually does in our lives is always sanctifying us. And it’s sanctifying us from our former lives, before we came to know his glory. I think this is an important distinction to make. It should be clear to us that we didn’t become better people when we came to know Christ and began to follow his Word, we became entirely different people.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

The nature of Christ is continually renewing. Because our sins and past transgressions were wiped clean, we’re commanded to focus on the present and keep our eyes on our heavenly future. For us, this should come as a relief! We may no longer concern ourselves with our past actions, decision and thoughts. We are liberated from any wrongdoing and only have Jesus, the author and foundation of our faith, to look to.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
— Romans 6:1–5

For Christians, we have the liberation from sin and the undeniable joy that comes with giving glory to God.

And don’t forget, this joy is also for those who have not yet placed their trust in Jesus — his freedom is available to all. There’s no sin too great, no chasm too wide, no soul too far from God that could ever be out of the reach of his love.

The invitation is there, both to continue the renewing and rejuvenation of our new souls, and to embrace the love of our heavenly Father for the first time, a decision that would radically change your life and cement your future. My prayer for each of us would be to encounter God for the first time, and to then see him and embrace him each and every day after, allowing his healing hands to sanctify us.