Show Day!

It's Show Day. 3pm and 7pm performances today of "Pilgrim's Progress". I've been praying for cloudy skies so the sanctuary we're performing in would be dark for the afternoon matinee. Now, we have an inch or two of snow falling. Apparently, I'm a righteous woman, for my prayers availeth much! :)

Kind of feeling in a weird state this morning. Not crazy anxious, just jittery. Glad I have picking up to do in the house before everyone comes over for the cast party between shows. I don't think it would do well for me to sit and think.

I'm considering my pep talk for the troops this afternoon. About nerves. Nerves, you know, are a physiological phenomenon. Your brain recognizes a possible threat and signals to your bodily functions to rev up a bit, get the blood pumping to the muscles and the brain so they're ready to respond. But if they get revved up too much, the opposition occurs -- you freeze up.

And what controls whether or not it gets that far is your thinking. Philippians 4 tells us to "be anxious for nothing", but take everything to God is prayer. But then it continues to say, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble . . right . . pure . . lovely . . admirable . . excellent or praiseworthy, think on these things." We take our fearful thoughts to God and put them in his lap, but we have to also then replace them with truth -- positive truth.

I believe that God already has figured out what he's going to accomplish through this play. I pray that some of that is being accomplished in the hearts of the kids. But also, maybe there's a woman coming today who needs to be reminded that the "Key of Promise" from God can free her from the dungeon of the "Giant Despair". Maybe there's a man coming who has felt burdened with having to perform his way into the "Celestial City" who will hear today that "the King already forgave you for all that, way back at the cross" -- and finally believe it. Maybe there's a child who won't get any of the meaning here, but will remember the story for years -- and God will bring a line or a character or a moment to their mind when they need it thirty years from now.

Whatever God has to accomplish, he's already at work . . . preparing hearts, opening schedules, clearing snowy roads. Whatever minor mistakes we make today can't thwart the work of God. We do our best, pray that it's blessed, and Jesus takes care of the rest.

What a privilege to be used as the hands and feet and voice of God in this way! This is why I do drama ministry!