Happy Tuesday, My Friend!
Have you ever felt overwhelmed with responsibility? A time when you thought, How on God’s green earth am I going to do this? I’ve got a story for you today. But also a word of encouragement.
Since I was a kid, I’ve always been involved in music and music at my church. I was in the children’s choir when I was little. I was the church pianist during my high school years. Oh, we had an organ, but I was lucky I could get both hands to work together, let alone add my feet. As an adult, I either led or helped lead the various children’s choirs at whatever church I was at.
At one of the churches I attended for several years, there was an exceptional children’s choir led by an outstanding leader. Her name is Ms. Kathie. There were so many kids in that choir! And man, oh man, Ms. Kathie didn’t seem to bat an eye as she got them all lined up in front of the church to sing. Every eye was on her, and no one seemed to be poking their neighbor or waving to Mom and Dad in the third-row pew. I’d never had such command of any choir I presided over and so marveled at her ability. Not only was she a top-notch choir director but also the piano teacher everyone in town hoped to have for their children. Obviously, I knew who she was, but I was pretty sure she didn’t know who I was. I had her placed atop a pedestal about 27 feet in the air. I figured she couldn’t see me from up there. Until . . .
One day, Ms. Kathie called me and wanted to meet me for a cup of coffee. She said she had something she wanted to talk to me about. After I picked the phone up off of the floor and stopped blathering on about, “You . . want to talk to . . . me?” I calmy said, “Sure, that would be fine.” (Swoon, drop phone again.)
To abbreviate the story a bit, Kathie had been wanting to share the responsibility of leading the kids’ choirs and wondered if I’d consider joining her as a music director “partner.” She made a point of saying I wouldn’t be there as an assistant but a full partner in planning/carrying out responsibilities. Again, I found myself on the floor but recovered nicely and eventually said yes.
Ms. Kathie and the choir put on a fabulous musical in the spring of each year. I’d been to one or two, even before my youngest son got involved, to see friends’ kids. They were big productions with costumes, props, and choreography. They were always the highlight of our church’s year.
Throughout that first year with Kathie, I soaked up so much good stuff. She was a master at leading kids singing (She did so for 20+ years), and I loved watching her with the kids. She had the perfect combination of being firm enough to garner their respect with the right amount of fun, so the kids loved her.
In January, we started getting ready for the musical we’d present in the spring. We had auditions for speaking roles, for solos, for dances. We had some kids be part of the “stage crew.” Basically, if a kid came to audition for a part, they didn’t go empty-handed. It always seemed to work out.
A couple of weeks before our performance, we’d have a huge technical rehearsal. We’d have it on a Saturday, and I can’t remember exactly, but I seem to recall we had the kids all day. We practiced in the sanctuary for hours, fed the kids, let them run around the church playground, and then practiced some more. We had to figure out exits and entrances, lighting, music, and where to hide costumes and props. There was SO much to figure out, all while wrangling about 50 kids! Kathie did so without a drop of perspiration on her brow.
Me, not so much.
Kathie and I took turns being the director the kids all looked at. We sat down in front on a little stool, and 100 eyes were on the one in that chair. We mouthed the words (that they’d memorized) and made small movements to direct the dancing. If we messed up, they messed up. I was 100% sure Kathie never messed up, and I was 100% sure I was going to mess up enough for both of us.
After my first technical rehearsal for my first musical, I went home in an absolute panic. I was thinking things like: What in the world have I gotten myself into? What will I ever do if Kathie moves away and I’m the only one in charge? Will 50 kids eat me alive? Haaaaaalllp!
And every time the performances were so well received, I thought to myself, Now why did I get myself so worked up?
But guess what. After a few years, Kathie actually did move away. Oh, Lord. Here came that panicky feeling again. How was I going to manage this without her? Here goes! This is the part where 50 kids will all come and devour me!
Again, worry for nothing. I had another partner in crime come help—Mary. We carried on the tradition of musicals in the spring. Our pastor was very gracious and allowed us to transform the sanctuary into many a scene. One year, the setting was a cruise ship; another time, it was a beach. One year, it was set in the 70s, and we even decorated our church’s bus with big flowers and peace signs.
One year, as I looked at my dining room table (the catchall area for my kid’s choir stuff) and saw it covered with costumes, props, scripts, cue cards, wigs, and a vast assortment of other “necessities” for that year’s performance, that feeling of overwhelm crept in again.
And then I heard something on the radio that helped me so much. I was listening to Chuck Swindoll and his program, “Insight for Living,” on the radio. It felt like he was speaking to me alone when he was talking about how, when you’re feeling overwhelmed, to stop and remember that God is reigning over that situation you’re facing. He even suggested making a sign that read, “God reigns over this,” and putting it somewhere that will help you remember. Being a visual person, I did exactly what he said. I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote in big bold letters, “GOD REIGNS OVER THIS!” and laid it on top of all that stuff on my dining room table. It was such a relief to me to see that sign and know in my heart of hearts that God had this musical in His hands.
Maybe a kid’s musical doesn’t sound like a huge deal to you. Perhaps it’s not something you’d get very worried about. And believe me, I know in the grand scheme of life, it’s not a big deal. You may have something much bigger you’re dealing with. Much scarier. Much more worrisome. As Mr. Swindoll did for me all those years ago, may I suggest that you make a sign, even if it’s just in your mind, that says, “God reigns over this”? It helped me to know that I’m not the one in charge. I may be the person who has human authority over something, but God is the One in control. Thank God!
Thank You, God, for reigning over my earthly responsibilities and caring about my human worries. Thank You for carrying this burden with me.
Thank You for being in charge.
I hope this gives someone encouragement this week!
Written with love – – – Patti XOXO
It’s hard to see in this photo, but this year, we transformed the church sanctuary into a jungle.
Notice, though, that the centerpiece is still the cross.
God reigns over this!