Behind Life's Curtains

In an hour, I'm going to go to yet another practice for our play Anne of Green Gables.  We'll spend two hours together trying to finalize the first act.  And, in three weeks, we'll be on stage performing the final showcase before an audience.

There's something the audience will never know.  They'll see the mastered play (hopefully, haha), the colorful costumes, and the story we'll portray.  They might be excited or amazed by the acting.  They might enjoy it.

But they won't know what happens behind stage.  The audience won't see the friendships built over months of practicing.  They won't know the silly blunders and embarrassing mistakes we've made.  And they won't know that only weeks before the performance, we didn't even have our lines memorized.

They'll see a play.  They'll go home.  And they'll continue living life.

Sometimes, I think that's what we do too.

We get busy.  We live life, whatever that includes.  Each day fades away as we move on to another.  Then another.

But there's more.  Life holds something beautiful that we often miss.  We spend so much time working to staying on top of our schedules (or catching up on what we've missed) that we fail to see that there's a deeper meaning to life behind the red curtains.

Jesus shares something similar in one of His parables.

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade." - Mark 4:30-32

Sometimes we're like that mustard seed.  We feel small and unimportant.  But if we stop there, we'll miss the entire point: our job is to grow into something more.

I want to change the world and make a difference in someone's life.  But sometimes I feel like a seed.  I sit here in my safe house and do safe, mundane things.  I write school papers while the stories on my heart sit in silence.  I do chores and practice plays and singing and other activities.  And then I go to bed after another day and wonder, "did it really matter?"

We see the play, but we miss the wonder behind stage.

Dear friend, sometimes we aren't called to change the world the way we think we are.  We don't have to become the next best-selling author to make a difference.  We don't have to have a thousand followers to change a life.

We must be faithful with what we have.

The smallest word can brighten a someone's day.  A smile can make someone realize that they're not alone.  A comment, share, hug, gift, or verse can change a life.

Maybe we're the person in the parable of the talents who was only given two talents.  (read here)  But we can't sit here and wonder why we don't have something more.  We must use what God's given us so that we can hear His wondrous words,

"Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." - Matthew 25:23

And that's enough.  Imagine finishing life and hearing your Savior's voice beckoning you forward.  Enter into the joy of your Lord.  He would wrap His arms around you, pull you towards His heart, and keep you there, safe and secure in His Love.  Would you need anything else?

It's easy to become discouraged with where you are in life.  It's easy to want what someone else has instead of realizing the beauty you already have.  But remember this:  God has a plan for your future.  He knows your desires and hopes and has something even more wonderful.  It might not be what you expect, but it's perfect.  (see Jeremiah 29:11-12)

But if He's convicting you to do more or life radically, don't push it aside.  His plan is wonderful, but you must follow His leading.  Be faithful with your talents, whether you have one or two or five.  God can use even the little things in life to make a difference.

Love Him in the busyness.  Love Him in the mundane.  Love Him in the hard times. And remember that He has a plan.  Follow.

Even though it can be messy behind stage, God has a wonderful play in the making.