To bring everyone up to speed…a little over 3 months ago I left my
position in Children’s Ministry. Part of the reason I left was
God was calling me to a season of rest. Well if you know me rest is not
something I do easily. I like to be busy…I like to be doing things. Since I was
eighteen years old I have been working 40+ hours a week, sometimes at multiple
jobs. Going from full speed to stop is
not something I have enjoyed at all. There were moments of depression as well
as moments of hearing God speaking. (And yes I know "resting" isn't just sitting around doing nothing, but its not being active like I'm used to) We
did enjoy a three week family vacation visiting family and friends in PA, Ohio
and Michigan. (with hopes of more traveling this summer and fall).
I have also done a few things that I’m not totally proud of,
so allow me this time to confess…in the last few weeks I have watched all six seasons
of…(wait for it)…Glee! Yes I admit it,
I’m a closet Glee fan. Now some of you probably aren’t too surprised to hear
this since you know of my love for Broadway Musicals. The first time I watched the show, when it
first aired, I didn’t like it. But in my, “stuck at home without a job” rut I
started watching it one night on Netflix and I couldn’t stop. As cheesy as it can be at times I have to
admit it has some good writers and some wonderfully talented actors. (The way I
judge if an actor or show is good or not is how quickly I feel like I have
become a part of the show). I have to say I learned a great deal from the show
as well. By the way, this is not a debate on if the show has good moral ethics.
I already admitted watching it and knowing it wasn’t the best morality show out there,
however I did learn from it. (Romans 8:28)
The show is all about following your dreams. It focuses a
lot on not just following your dreams in life, but also believing in who you
are! (Again I’m not here to debate the moral ethics of the show). But after
watching the show I really believe it is important to follow your dreams.
One of my favorite characters in the show is William Schuester,
the Glee Club Coach. He reminds me a lot of one of my teachers in high school,
DeAnne Casteel, not just because they share a love for the arts but because
DeAnne also had this knack of pulling the “outcast” out of their shell and
helping them to shine and to always follow their dreams.
Throughout the entire show, Mr. Schu, as the kids call him,
is always fighting for the kids, helping them with their problems and teaching
them to be themselves and to follow their dreams. There is one particular scene
that stuck with me from season six where Mr. Schu is helping Rachel, a former
glee club student who failed as a television star and now has come back home to
find her parents are divorcing and selling her childhood house – she feels like
her world is coming down around here. Mr. Schu, shares what I feel is some good
advice for facing lifes’ challenges. He compares life with a bow and arrow and
says;
“The power is created by the bending of the bow. The more the bow bends
the more potential energy is created. Life’s challenges are just the bending of
the bow. The bigger the challenge, the more the bow bends the more potential
you create to do something amazing. All
you have to do is find a purpose- find the arrow that you’re gonna put in that
bow.”
I love this advice, especially in my current “challenge” in
life. As I mentioned before I have
worked full time and multiple jobs for many years of my life. To go from all to
nothing has been a challenge. To say that I love my new life of not working
would be a lie. I know God has called me to a season of rest but I’m not even
sure what that is supposed to look like or how to do it. Most days it is a
challenge just to face the day and figure out what I’m supposed to do, but I
know that through this challenge God has amazing things in store for me. So
when the enemy comes in and tries to steal my joy, or speak lies to me, I need
to remember that God has bigger and better things in store for me – I just need
to rest and wait on him.
I have other lessons I have learned from Glee and will share
them with you at another time… for now I’m going to go sing a song and make
myself feel better!
Just my thoughts – hope you found a nugget in there
somewhere.
