My parents are amazing! To help me adjust to being back in the states they decided we would all go on vacation to Ireland. Makes perfect sense, I know. It was actually very helpful. I had time to process some things and spend the first moments post race, with my biggest supporters, my folks.
One of the beauties that Ireland holds for me, other than 1/2 my heritage, breathtaking sights and welcoming residents is one of my dearest friends in the whole world. Noelle and her husband Troy have been missionaries to Northern Ireland for many years now. I love her, her husband and their 2 effervescent children with all my heart. As an only child, my friends ARE my family, and she is one of my favorite sisters.
One of the pleasures I enjoyed on our “vacation” was to attend her daughter Olive’s Christmas performance at her primary school. She is 6, and one of the funniest, most loving kids I’ve ever met. This year she was a “Christmas Cracker”, in a story about the ingredients needed to make the perfect Christmas. She delivered her lines with passion and conviction… all 10 words.
She crushed that line!
Every holiday tradition was present, from Santa Claus, to snow flakes, wise men, elves, and a cook to put this whole mix together. It was the end that touched me though. See, in Northern Ireland, their Christian traditions still stand. They may not agree about the importance of Mary, or whether or not communion can only be done in church, but Protestant or Catholic both agree, Jesus, is the most important “ingredient” for a successful Christmas.
I couldn’t agree more.
The performance was typical, the principal came out and gave some instructions; “Please remain seated so everyone can see. For safety, no Facebook posts”, yada yada yada… So as the curtain pulled back, it looked like a game of “Whack a mole” started. Parent’s heads were bobbing up and down as they found, smiled and waved at their children, letting them know they were there. Of course what happens when kids see their parents? The smiles and frantic waving began! It’s what you do when you’re 6 and you’re about to utter 10 very important, and much practiced words in front of a bunch of people you don’t know, you look for the ones you DO know.
Now, Noelle is short. She’s actually shorter than me if you can imagine that, and we were sitting in the back. Poor Olive looked for her in the crowd but clearly couldn’t find her. Troy waved but she didn’t see. Olive looked and looked but to no avail. The first song began and I watched my little friend begin to sing the first song. After all, the show must go on.
She’s a mature 6.
So why is this significant? Why should you care about this? I promise I’m getting there. Plus, I don’t have my own kids, so I should brag about someone’s.
As the show started I heard that Shakespeare quote come across my mind,
“All the world’s a stage, and the men and women merely players.”
For the majority of my Christian life, I’ve been told, “We live for an audience of one.” It makes sense, but it became a HUGE flash of truth as I watched this little play, and listened as the Lord allowed life to show a part of His charter with new scope.
“What have you noticed about what you’re seeing, and what does it show you about who I am to MY kids?” He asked.
I thought.
This was my conclusion:
I noticed proud parents as they watched their kids say their lines.
I noticed them intent on letting their kids know that they were there to support them.
I saw kids looking with excitement as they saw Mom or Dad.
I noticed the pride in my friends as their daughter flawlessly said her lines.
I noticed how even though she didn’t see her parents, she still said her lines, she still sang, and she danced.
“What is the significance of all you’ve observed?” He asked.
“The beauty of how it applies to life.”
The night before I watched Noelle randomly quiz Olive on her lines. She knew them. I watched my friend give some instruction, some encouragement, and then moved on to life as normal.
I noticed that this CHRISTian life is just like that CHRISTmas performance.
Our Father sits with pride as the curtain of our seasons are unveiled. He watches every step of this dance, and when it’s our turn, He watches with excitement as we deliver the lines, (walk through the trials) we’ve practiced for. Whether it be with the measure of grace He’s given us, the word we’ve hidden in our hearts, or the fruit of the Holy Spirit that we’ve grown in, He, as the great Father He is, has made sure we’ve got our lines down.
See, trials are a lot like that performance. It’s what we’ve “practiced” for. Those nights of prayer, of seeking His face. The times of studying His word, listening to wisdom, surrounding ourselves with great community, it all builds to that one moment when it’s our turn…
Are we going to freeze and forget? That happens. Grace is poured out.
Are we going to mess up? That happens too. Grace again is poured out.
Or do we deliver our lines without fail? Grace again.
I saw pride in every parent’s eyes as they watched their child perform.
Many of us think God sits in the audience of our lives, arms folded waiting for us to blunder our lines. Many of us believe He waits for us to fail. I believe it’s quite the opposite. He sits with pride. He loves us, and is proud to be called our Dad. It took me a while to realize this though. For a while, I had succumb to believing that after making the same mistake over and over again the next time Father God was in the audience, it was with an expectation of previous mistakes. I had been fooled into believing that He thought of me, the way I thought of me, a failure.
Praise Jesus, that’s not the truth at all!!!!! Here’s how I know.
Several years ago I watched my same friend watch her son go to pieces on stage in desperation to not perform. He sobbed and sobbed and begged to be with his mother instead of onstage. This was a particularly difficult season in the lives of my friends, and this was icing on a very stale cake. I sat quietly praying for my dear sister as she quieted sobs in the car on our way home from this particular school performance. My heart broke. Not because my little friend couldn’t perform but because I knew that my friend was hurting for her son. Noelle wasn’t angry with him, she was sad for him. She knew he could do it. We all did. But sometimes trials are just too much, and the safety of our Father’s arms are the only peace we find.
A few months later she called me after her son was a successful and tear-free Christmas star at church. He smiled and sang with the other kids. She knew he could do it, and that day came. After I hung up the phone, I crumpled into a ball on the floor and cried tears of thankfulness. The memory of her painful tears and that difficult day melted into prayers of gratitude.
We perform for an audience of one. When the curtains of life are pulled back to reveal the stage, the set, and the season, our Father sits with great expectation and excitement. He watches as all the moments of practice, the reading, the tears, the memorization all adds up to this one point. He claps with great pride as we nail those difficult lines. He laughs at the moments of humor. He is a captivated audience member and His eyes are never off us. He quotes lines to us, if we stumble. He sits at the edge of His seat believing in us. He is there, even if we can’t see Him. He is our biggest fan and our most loyal supporter.
Take courage in knowing that He is there, and will NEVER leave.
“Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be pleasing to you,
, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
Exit, stage right.
