Before going to university, I never knew what theatre could do for my life. I was an athlete with the goal of using soccer to reach around the world. In college, everything changed. I had the privilege of attending a Christian liberal arts college, where one of the goals of the theatre department was to equip the students with the means of fulfilling their dreams and learning to put themselves in learning experiences for the rest of their lives. I also learned the incredible attitude and impact you can have when you serve everyone around you. I went into the department thinking I would learn about theatre and graduated having learned about life.
Here are two things I learned about my life through studying theatre:
1) Figuring out my ultimate objective as a person
My ultimate goal for me in life is: Reaching the Unreached for Christ. No matter where I am or what I am doing, I would be working to reach the unreached for Christ. However, I know that circumstances will change. No situation is exactly the same, therefore, I have to use different tactics to reach each person I touch. I can use past experiences to help with that. I cannot escape my past, either, so whatever I have learned from whatever situations I have already been in will be applied to the decisions in present situations.
2) Be present in your scene
There is nothing worse than thinking about my grocery list in the middle of a dramatic moment on stage. If I lose focus, the audience sees that and gets disinterested in what I am doing or saying because my heart is not in the moment. It’s exactly the same with people in real life. When I am talking with someone and I am only half-listening and thinking about what I have to do when they finish talking, they will feel my disinterest in what they are saying. I could genuinely care about what they are going through, but if I don’t show it, they will stop talking and move on with their day. This does not allow me to care for them, and does not allow them to be lifted up.
I cannot wait to see how my past experiences feed into my present and future experiences with the World Race. I know there will be more opportunities to reach for my final goal, and be present where I am in life!
