Anne of Green Gables was our senior play production.
My sisters and I grew up watching spunky lil’ Anne and all of her shenanigans so I was beyond elated when I was chosen to play the stern but loving, Marilla Cuthbert my senior year of high school.
As the days and weeks of rehearsal passed and the date of the play neared, my anxiety and fear began to rise like the mercury inside a hot thermometer.
What if I forget my lines, or mess up or both?
My near-panic-level of emotions began to overshadow the joy of the initial assignment particularly the night of dress rehearsal.
(insert detail linked to the anxiety and fear that was trying to choke me out–>Just a few weeks prior to being cast for my role in the play I had been chosen as one, of two of the “MOST ABSENT MINDED” members of our senior class. Awesome, except that it’s not. Because isn’t that a title we all dream of attaining? NOT. But I’m over it, you know, being forgetful and all or maybe not. You could ask these girls. They’d tell ya. It’s been 20 years since this was taken. Sorry for the poor quality. No iPhones or selfie sticks available.)
A-n-y-wa-ys, with my nerves on end, feeling completely inadequate, doing my best to convince myself that my understudy would do a much better job, lost in my thoughts I had a wreck on the way to practice the final night of dress rehearsal.
It was a minor wreck but it was enough of one to cause me to snap-out-of-it!
I had a role to play and…
And it did.
The next several nights the play was played out without so much as a glitch as best I can recall. The drama department director of the local community college was in the audience one night. The icing on the cake was a great conversation the director and I had following one of our performances. Our class performance and that conversation later led to my attending that same local community college on a drama scholarship.
Y’all, we all have a role to play
and the show is on…..
THERE IS NO DRESS REHEARSAL.
THIS IS IT.
This life, the one you’re living. The one I’m living. This is it.
This prayer, the one Jesus prayed for His followers pierced me all over again this morning as I read these words:
Father, it’s time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son so the Son in turn may show your bright splendor….
You put him in charge of everything human so he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
the one and only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do.
And now, father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
the very splendor I had in your presence before there was a world. (John 17 MSG)
Do you see it? Do you hear it?
We each have a role.
An assignment.
Jesus fulfilled His role down to the last detail.. the assigned work the Father had for Him.
He was born of a virgin, lived a flawless life, served, loved, taught, healed, gave His life as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins because of love. He was relentlessly beaten, died and rose again and He’s coming back!
but until then…..
WE are His hands and feet.
WE are to be about His business.
We are the church. The living, breathing, church.
WE each have a role to play.
YOU and I have been cast. We are living our reality show.
Are we glorifying Him?
One of Jason’s classmates slipped into glory yesterday.
Jason just turned 40.
Y’all we’ve got to snap out of it.
We can’t wait to do our thing or serve or surrender our lives to Him later. The time is now.
What role are you playing?
Are you a mother, father, wife, grandmother, co-worker, friend, daughter, aunt, sister?
We ALL HAVE A ROLE in this life!
Whatever your season of life…wherever you are BE ALL THERE
Some sing, others build, some cook, teach, lead and go.
Others design, create, organize, serve, minister.
Whatever- it- is that makes your heart beat. DO THAT!
Whatever that thing is you could do all day without pay and lose track of time, ask God to help you commit that thing to Him for His honor and glory.
Together, let’s live on purpose.
Live with intentional.
Stop listening to the lies of comparison.
There is no one better to do what the creative Creator of the universe has for you to do than you.
Escape the trap of the mundane.
Make the little things matter. Engage in conversation. Love BIG. PRAY BIGGER.
Don’t worry about forgetting your lines…
GET OUT of the shallow end of the pool.
You don’t want to have lived your life, scared in the shallow end of the pool do you?
I’m cheering for you!
I believe in you because I know God has a plan and a purpose for each one of you!
I tell you the truth, He does.
Now, GO.
Do your thing for Him!
Live your reality.
And then…. be sure to share with us the great things He is doing in you and through your life!
much love~
