December 1, 2014
Transformational Thought
My mother is a great piano player, and she taught me and many others while I was growing up. She also loved musicals, so I reluctantly got a fair dose of those as a kid. In fact, my sister and I put on the show “Oliver” in our basement and charged the neighborhood kids 5 cents for admission and popcorn. My oldest daughter, Dominique, has always been involved in music and drama, and my youngest, Gigi, is a dancer. So I have seen many plays, recitals and musicals. At first, it seemed like more of the same boring obligatory responsibilities from childhood, but actually, watching the shows now is quite different from when I was younger.
You see, as a kid watching the shows, I fell into the trap of thinking the actors were just being themselves and not really playing parts. Knowing my daughter and her friends in real life, and then watching them up on stage, I am able to appreciate that they were not being themselves. They were actually acting out something very different, something the writer and the director envisioned and coached out of them.
As Christians, whether we like it or not, our lives are all individual stages on which others might observe the performance of Christ. Despite our imperfections, God has chosen us to act out and reflect His Glory for others to see so they can become aware of His presence and power. Don’t worry about your stage being unworthy of Him. No matter how much you fix it up, no matter how polished you may become, you will never be worthy or good enough for the display of His radiant holiness.
The whole drama comes down to this one basic point: how much do you trust God to know more than you about the play you are in? If you trust Him, then you will follow out His direction and instruction for what to do and how to do it. If you don’t trust Him, you will reject His wisdom and now you’re winging it going the wrong direction using the wrong techniques—a true recipe for disaster. We have all been down that road and know how that drama plays out.
Actually, our weakness is the ideal stage for the exhibition of His power. For this glorious process to happen, we must submit to Him as the great Director, trusting His instruction and purpose for us. Step into and revel in the awesome roles He designed for you. If you feel uncomfortable with God as your Director, the only other available options for your director are evil-intentioned Satan, or your very nearsighted, incompetent self. That is when your play turns into a real tragedy.
Today, play your rightful part in God’s Glorious Drama. To maximize this opportunity and experience, look inward and find what is distracting and hindering you from keeping your eyes constantly on Him and following His direction. Grab a pencil and paper and journal for a few minutes. Next, work on that distraction; see how He can ease the pain this distraction brings to you. Then you will be able to keep your gaze fixed on Him and His awesome splendor. Forget about your unworthiness. Watch the Glorious Drama unfold as He performs great things for you and through you. Whether you follow God as your Director or you promote yourself over God to be your director, it’s your decision, so choose well.
Prayer
Dear Father God, I want to be Your stage. I want to be available to be a stage from which You can display Your power and Glory. But Father, I am not a ready-to-use stage. I feel more like a splintery, unfinished platform. I feel I may not even be safe enough. I feel like my boards are not yet nailed down properly. Help me, Father, to look away from myself and to look at You. Strengthen me to follow Your direction and be part of Your grand story. I am encouraged and thankful as I read Your Holy Word telling me that Your power is made perfect in my weakness. Thank You, Father. I pray through the love and work of Christ Jesus for us. And all God’s children say AMEN!
The Truth
“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10