The Sunday Sermonette – Auditions.
Fifty years ago this month, I was bitten by a bug. I was not the first to be bitten and certainly wasn’t the last. Fifty years later, though, that bug bite has not healed. The species of bug? The Theater Bug! And even after much theatrical water has flowed under many theatrical bridges, I haven’t forgotten how excruciating my first audition was.
The Gulfport Little Theater’s 1975 summer musical was “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.” A dear friend called me and asked me to audition, which I did, auditioning with the World War I song, “How ‘ya Gonna Keep ‘em Down on the Farm.” I recorded the song on my cassette player and spent many hours rehearsing it. During the audition, I kept my eyes on the director and the musical director, attempting to monitor their reactions. While singing, I wondered, “Will I get in the show? Am I good enough?”
The question, “Am I good enough?” is not new. In the Book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul addressed this. Preaching to the Galatian church, which included both Jews and Gentiles, he reminded them of what made people good enough for Father God to accept them. It had nothing to do with their goodness or their adherence to the Jewish rules and regulations of the day. It revolved around one thing: their faith in Jesus Christ. Father God pronounces a person good enough—righteous—not by following a series of religious laws or doing good works, but through his or her faith in Christ alone. Good works and deeds do not save us, but they do display our faith
Have you ever felt like you weren’t good enough to experience Father God’s love? Have you ever felt like your past, family history, or lack of talents can keep Father God from loving you? Father God justifies us not by who we are or who we were. Nor by our education, money, fame, or creativity. We are justified—made good enough—by one thing: faith in Jesus Christ.
Knowing this is powerfully liberating and comforting, too. It shifts our focus from our human efforts to Father God’s divine grace. When we trust His promises, we realize that our lives are not tethered to our failings but to Father God’s unfailing love and grace.
When I auditioned for that musical fifty years ago, I didn’t think I was good enough to get in the show, but I did. The judges saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. For that, I am thankful. In life’s auditions, though, sometimes I was good enough, and sometimes I wasn’t. But in the grand scheme of things, that really didn’t matter. Because in the eyes of Father God and because of my faith in Jesus Christ, “I am good enough,” even when I think I’m not.
And the same goes for you. You are good enough, not because of your achievements or your failures, but because of your faith in Jesus Christ. Remember that, and let it be a source of strength and encouragement in your life’s journey.
Ponder this and go forth.