Do you ever feel like you’re performing for others? Like the script of your life isn’t what you want to write, but it’s what other people have written for you? Or that you’re not really the person you want to be because you’re always trying to please someone else? To be someone else?
We spend a lot of time trying to please others. We defer to their expectations. We give in to their demands. We try to change to be who they want us to be. And we begin playing a part, a role, in the performance of our life.
The problem is that we’re not cast as ourselves. Since we’re trying to be someone else and please others, we’re ultimately cast as someone we’re not. And living out each day gets harder and harder.
There are so many questions we could ask. Who are we, really? Who do we want to be? What role do we want to play in our life? Who do we want starring in a lead role with us? Who would we like to fire? Are we someone who has to be in the spotlight, or do we cower behind the curtains stage left?
Important questions, and if we actually took the time to answer them honestly we’d probably be very surprised. But none of these questions really gets to the heart of the matter. So here’s our question for today: Who is our audience?
Who are we playing for? Who do we look to when we live out our most critical scenes? Who is it that should matter the most?
At the end of our life, when the curtain closes for the final time, who will be left in the seats before us?
Some of us play for a very large audience. There are so many people we’re trying to please. So many people we want to write good reviews. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year. Parents. Siblings. Husband or boyfriend. Kids. Best friend. Party friends. Old friends we want to impress. Boss. Co-workers. Rivals. Neighbors. People who see us out on the town. People we sit next to at church. People we meet when we travel. People who looked down on us in the past. People who look down on us now. People we want to influence. People we want to be jealous. People we wish would like us, just the way we are.
Many of the people in our audience don’t know us very well. In fact, some may not know us at all. But as actors in our life play, we hope they’ll love us in our role. We want them to cheer and clap. We want them to leave in awe and see our worth as the leading role. We may even want a standing ovation. No one can play this part as good as we can.
But should we be playing to other people? Should they be in the audience at all?
The truth is that our audience consists only of people from whom we’re seeking approval. Maybe it’s time to change who we’re playing for. Maybe it’s time to rip up the script written by others and start developing our own role based on who we want to be.
Maybe it’s time to start living for an Audience of One. God.
When the curtain comes down on our final act, He alone will be the one before us. He alone will be writing our review. Will He applaud His approval and say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant!” or will He be disappointed that we played out our role on stage looking at everyone else in the cast but never once directing our focus to Him?
Whether we acknowledge it now or not, our life is lived for an Audience of One. God is our biggest fan. And He wants us to turn to Him and never turn away. He wants us to fix our eyes on Him and dance like there’s nobody else in the room. It starts with faith. Faith that He exists. Faith that He is our Director in life, not our critic. Faith that He has lined up the most amazing after-party we could ever imagine, and it will start as soon as the curtain falls.
Don’t miss the opportunity to get to know your Audience. He loves who you really are. And He’s sitting on the edge of His seat watching every scene of your life with the affectionate eyes of a devoted Father. He wants you to play for Him. Will you?
“It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)
May I pray?
Father God, sometimes there are so many people in the theatre of our life that we don’t even remember You’re there. We don’t acknowledge You. We don’t notice You. We don’t look for You. And yet You continue to sit in Your front row seat each day, calling to us. Hoping we’ll turn to You and smile. Forgive us, Father, for not living our lives for an Audience of One. May today be the day that we change our focus. May this be the day that we look You in the eyes and say, “Daddy, today I live my life for You.” Amen.
Q4U: Who is your audience?