For the past several months, our homeschool drama group has been working
on the musical Pilgrim, which is an
adaptation of the book Pilgrim’s Progress,
by John Bunyan. For those who may not
have read this book, it is the story of “the man” who realizes the burden of
his sin and begins a journey (at the impetus of the King) which leads him on
the path, first to the Cross and eventually to the Celestial City. The path is sometimes full of joy and
sometimes full of struggle, but the man, who is called Christian, comes to
realize that the King is always with him as he travels. I read the book in my younger years and plan
to read it again this summer with my kids, but even knowing the basic premise
(I can’t remember all the details) I wasn’t prepared for how powerfully I would
be moved as I watched these kids perform.
This production has been several years in the making – since our drama
director found the play and has been waiting for her daughter to be old enough
to play Christian. I have no doubt that
God has been, in her words, staying her
hand, until our group gained the needed maturity to tackle such a huge
project. We have never done a musical
and the majority of our soloists had never sung a solo in public. Most of them were sure that they absolutely
COULD NOT sing in public, but they did and it was beautiful.
God reminded me of many things as we prepared for and performed this
play. From the very first time I watched
the DVD of the original performance and then even more as I read the script, I
began to see so many parallels to my own journey. Even my kids began to notice things and would
often mention how some detail of life resembled the play. Then, as I watched Isabela (and her Mama)
tackle the role of Christian and face the many trials along the way (both
figurative and literal), it became even more clear that God was in the timing
of this. These kids (and their
directors) were not just learning lines and blocking, we were learning the
Truth of the Presence of God in every situation. The kids faced the trials of parts outside of
their comfort zones and the adults faced details of sets and sound systems
(among other things) that seemed impossible to work out. Everyone dealt with everyday life that seemed
to crowd into (or crowd out) the time needed to prepare for the play. But, we persevered and the play came
together; as a result, we had the opportunity to see God bless our efforts.
I have been working through my emotions surrounding the play since our
final scheduled performance this past Saturday and I want to record some of the
things I would like for the cast to know about what they have just experienced. These are the things that I want my own
children to take away from this experience and the things that I want to
remember as well.
This was more than just a play. I
think our students know that. I have been
amazed as I have watched the kids grow through this production, not just as
performers, but as people. I pray that
the truth of this play has seeped into their very being and that they will
never be the same. Each one of our drama
kids may have been to the Cross before this play started, but we all need to be
reminded that the King is always with us and that He cares about every moment
of our lives. I hope that they never
forget that a Christian can leave the path, but cannot step outside of the King’s
care for His children.
Any play has the potential to teach us something, but this one goes much
deeper. These children – many of whom
are actually young adults – had the opportunity to step on to a stage and share
the Gospel. In order to do this, each
one had to “become” a character. Some of
those characters “fit” the individual.
Some didn’t. Many of them had to
go back and forth between being good guys and bad guys. Some kids had lots of lines, some had only a
few. But none of that matters. I want these kids to know that it makes no
difference what part they played, the number of lines they spoke, or even the
amount of talent they have for acting.
Every one of those students participated in spreading the Gospel of
Jesus Christ through this play. Even
those playing the “bad guys” set in motion a time when Christian learned
something more from the King.
And that is why this play was so very moving to me. God using the good and the bad to show us HIS
plan is a very real part of life. As
Christians, we often struggle to see the good in a situation that holds only
grief and despair for us, but thankfully, God sees the bigger picture and He
isn’t going to leave us in our despair. Often,
it is in our lowest moments - in the times of our greatest trials when our King uses the people
around us to speak to our deepest needs and to point us to Him. One of my favorite parts of the play is the
Castle of Doubt scene (where Christian and Hopeful have left the path looking
for an easier way and learn the hard way that the story isn’t about them). I have been there and I am so thankful for
the people who have filled the role of Hopeful in my life. We all need to be reminded occasionally that
this life isn’t about us. This isn’t
your story or my story, it is HIS story and that is infinitely better.
I realize that this most of this won’t make sense if you haven’t seen
the play or read the book – so go do it! Read the book that is.
I know that this is already long, but I can’t help but end with a few
pictures of the play.
Lora in her role as Obstinate … she plays a pretty good bad guy.
James as Evangelist – my favorite of my kid’s roles.
Lora was our choreographer (she took the original dances and
turned them into something our less experienced dancers could actually do). I think
she learned that she would rather dance than choreograph.
The whole crew at Vanity Fair
