Who's in Charge Here? Seeing God as the Director
There are many great moments in the classic Christmas story, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Sally asking Santa for tens and twenties. Snoopy entering the Christmas house decorating contest. Linus explaining the Christmas story to Charlie Brown. My particular favorite is when Charlie Brown tries to direct the Christmas play. Sweet and melancholy Charlie comes in ready to work and chaos ensues. It’s a great picture of what life looks like when we try to take on a job that clearly isn’t meant for us.
On the stage of life, God is the director. He guides the story, unifying the different aspects of technical and artistic elements into a beautiful and cohesive narrative where everyone is valued for the part they play and Jesus is the star of the show.
A Director Works with Actors
A director’s job is difficult because, unlike other artists who work with tangible mediums like clay or paint or music notes, the director works with people. He delegates responsibility to designers, technicians, and actors and they bring his vision to life based on how well he was able to communicate with them.
Delegation is a sometimes overlooked characteristic of God. Since the beginning when He set man and woman in the garden and gave them work, God has invited us to work alongside Him.
Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean erasing all of who you are and becoming a carbon copy of some mindless drone. It means brining who you are – your unique voice and perspective – in line with the Director’s vision. Seeing the story the way He sees it and working with Him to bring it to life.
The Actor-Director Relationship is Built on Trust
Typically rehearsals begin in a room, somewhere away from the stage. The set, costumes, and props will be in various stages of development. The actor begins to rehearse the scene based on what the director says will be there. The director tells the actor, “a chair will be here and you will have a book in your hand”. The actor must trust that the director knows what he’s talking about and that he is working behind the scenes to bring it all together.
Hebrews 11 illustrates this through the stories of the people we call “Heroes of the faith”.
“All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.” (11:39-40)
They are the actors who came before us. Sometimes they trusted, other times they didn’t, often resulting in a mess. We are called to continue their work, praying as Jesus taught us, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10)
We trust, as they did, that the Director has every aspect of the production under control. He knows the big picture and is bringing all the separate components together into one harmonious piece of art.
“Even though I’d been taught that he had created me in his own image, my entire life was spent reducing him to mine.” (Knox McCoy, The Wondering Years)
Seeing God as the Director of your life is only one aspect, one fragment, one puzzle piece of something incomprehensible.
“Yes, God is exalted beyond our knowledge; the number of his years cannot be counted.” (Job 36:26)
He has given us many pictures over the years to help our limited minds begin to grasp who He is. Father, teacher, shepherd, the God who sees, the God who Heals, the God who Saves, Immanuel, God with us.–
“For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ” Colossians 2:9
Knowing our limits, He reveals Himself slowly, inviting us to play a role in the story He is telling.
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