"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

When I was in high school and college I participated in many plays and musicals. My defining moment was playing Danny Zuko in a production of Grease.

I liked being in the productions for lots of reasons. It was fun being able to act like someone else. It was fun getting into costume. It was fun being on stage. It didn’t hurt that the cast parties were always a blast!

One of the things I really liked about doing the shows was that there was a script. I knew exactly what to say. I always had the right come back, response, question for the moment. I never had to worry about saying the wrong thing, unless I forgot my lines which never happened — well, seldom happened.

Many times, I wish I had a script for my life. I wish I always knew what to say or knew what question to ask or had the right response to be helpful.

One thing we did when rehearsing for the shows was improvisation, something that I was never very good at. As you know, improv is doing a scene with a theme and very few rules that the actors try to follow while interacting with one another. But they never have a script to follow, each actor has the freedom to make up their own responses. They never know where the scene will lead. They have to trust the other actors and just go with it.

Life is more like improv than a production such as a play or musical. There are a few rules that we try to follow as a society but all of us have the freedom to make up our own lines. We must interact off each other and we never know where the scene is going to lead.

As Christians, the rules of the improv skit called life are found in the Bible. They are the word of God. We have free will to make choices, but our faith provides the trust in others that we are all following the same theme or setting. This seems like it is becoming harder and harder to do in today’s society. It seems like not everyone agrees on the rules for the skit.

As with improv, the most important skill we need to be faithful today is listening. Sometimes that is listening to our colleagues, our family, our friends, or simply those we encounter who are hurting and seeking hope. Most importantly, we must listen to God, and where God is leading us. It’s not an easy task today, but with trust and hope, we can make our way through challenging times and conversations.

Deuteronomy 27:10

"Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”