Playing a Vital Role Well

Nervousness when public speaking, feeling overwhelmed by a workload, and having to negotiate with difficult people... all these tough situations have something wonderful in common — our role.

We’re actors in the overall scheme of things. That’s it. Life’s not much more complicated than that. How convincingly a role we play depends on many factors.

But, first and foremost, we’re gifted to afford ourselves an extrinsic base for doing many things. This certainly helps us detach enough to be able to laugh at ourselves. So often our fatal flaw is we take life too seriously.

Acting in Front of the Audience of One

Given this mindset, that we’re acting our roles in this serious game of life, we can afford to fabricate who it is we’re acting for.

It’s God we seek to impress.

No matter what we’re called to do, we’ll have the tools and the wherewithal to actually do the things we set out to do. All that’s required then is to perform — to make those minute decisions of judgment weighed to the perceived need of the situation.

If we screen out the awe and apprehension of nerves, all that stands before us is the performance of the task. We know that we can do it.

Though we should be awed by performing in front of the King of kings and Lord of lords it never feels that way; we’re comforted, mainly because God is as much in us and feeling what we feel, and helping, as he’s omniscient and omnipresent elsewhere.

Cherishing the Role

Whatever role we have, disregarding how difficult or laborious it might be, we’re privileged to have it. There are many who are not alive in order to play this type of role. Many others may never, or will never, be in our position.

On the day set for our performance of the role — which is possibly today — we can draw comfort from the fact that we’re not the only actors in this pantomime of life, that our performances will soon be history, and that God will love us despite our level of performance.

This day of the auspicious performance maybe much vaunted — it will assist, however, to step out of ourselves for a moment, to enjoy a view of life fresh without the pressure to perform.

Imagine breathing easy, or easier, in contemplation of the broader world concern — gaining relief through the God-expanded perspective — in order that the bright bulbs of the pressuring personal spotlight might be, for a moment, dimmed.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.