Last week I had the chance to worship with Casting Crowns – one of my favorite bands ever.
Lead singer Mark Hall took a break from his vocal stylings to tell a story of how he recently went to a movie with some kids in his youth group. This movie was a macho movie with a heroic ending. As he walked out, he noticed the men in the group with a new swagger…their chests were puffed out a bit more and they had a new stride to their walk.
Do you know that feeling? Have you watched a movie that gave you that new sense of confidence? Have you watched Hoosiers or Remember the Titans and you felt unstoppable on the court or on the field? Have you watched Saving Private Ryan or Braveheart and felt like you could lift a house off of the Wicked Witch? (OK, lame example I know). I think you get the point, though. There is something about watching something awe-inspiring that leaves us carrying ourselves differently afterwards.
But why?
We get JUST A TASTE of what it is like to be a hero (while watching from the audience) and it inflates our chests. Maybe – just maybe – we aren’t meant to just be in the audience. Maybe we are meant to be in the game.
I don’t want to tell my grandkids about the time I watched a movie and somebody made a game-winning shot. I don’t want to tell my kids about the time when I watched George Clooney stand up for what’s right. I don’t want to tell my youth group about the time when “somebody else” followed Christ – even though it was insanely difficult.
I want SO BADLY for the Christians of the world to be the ones the stories are written about. It’s time we stop sitting in the audience. It’s time we get in the game.
Christ didn’t succumb to the cross so that we can just sit back and watch. And it is by His grace that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8). But there is great opportunity for us to be the heroes we watch in awe on the big screen. Ephesians 2:10 goes on to say that “we are God’s workmanship (we are God’s greatest masterpieces), created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do.” God himself is setting us up to be ‘stars!’
It’s not about fame – and it certainly isn’t about fortune. It’s about getting out of the audience and into the action. It’s about following God’s intended script for our lives. It isn’t about the lights – or the camera. It’s about the action!
So may you step out of the audience and into the action. May you follow God’s will for your life and inspire others along the way. May the script of your life be impactful to those who encounter it. And may God receive all the glory!
Erik Hatch