There’s a lot about my job that I love, but one of my favorites is getting to direct shows. I have been blessed with really great students over the years who, for the most part,  follow my direction. Even if, sometimes, it seems off the wall — “try a different accent,” “throw yourself on the floor and scream like a toddler”, “flip yourself over that couch” — they usually trust me, and their risks usually pay off.

Occasionally, though, I have an actor who does not want to follow directions. Some students recently reminded me of this cute little first grader who had a small part in the musical, “ANNIE” last year. He was in one scene, and had one line: “Fifty cents!” I was trying to get him to say it with enthusiasm – his character was was excited to have fifty cents! So I’d kneel down in front of him and say, “fifty cents!!!” with lots of emotion, and he’d reply with “fifty cents”, in a monotone. We went back and forth, me getting more and more animated, and him getting more and more monotone. But then, finally…he did it! “Fifty cents!!” The whole cast cheered. It took a while, but he got it, and he did great in the production.

As I recalled that, I thought how God is like a director, and sometimes we’re like that kid. God’s standing in front of us saying, “Love others!” or “Keep your mouth shut!”, and we just keep doing what we were doing. Keep getting the same results. Those around us often look on and think – “Why aren’t you listening?? Your Director is trying to help you out!” But we don’t see it. We think we can “direct” ourselves. Or we think we’re doing just fine – who needs a Director? We’ve got this.

But, as flawed as I am, as a human director of fictional shows, I want my cast to look good. I want the show to be the best it can be. My direction has at its heart the best interest of my actors. How much more, then, does God, who is the perfect Director of our real lives, have our best interests at heart? He knows THE best way for our stories to unfold. We should listen to Him. The first time. The wisdom He offers is worth far more than “fifty cents!” 😉

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Prov. 2:6