Recently, I’ve been a bit convicted about the way I use my words.
1 Peter 3:10 says “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.”
James 3:1-12 talks all about taming the tongue; how life and death, blessings and curses both come from our mouths, and how it shouldn’t be this way.
Before I continue, let’s break it down:
conviction isn’t a bad thing when it comes from the Lord.
Conviction is a healthy feeling! It means we’re growing, we’re learning things about ourselves that we hadn’t known before.
It’s a tool that comes from a place of love within the spirit of God.
In the theatre industry, it’s incredibly easy to break something, or someone, down. It’s easy to complain about a certain directing style or another actor, or just mention discontentment as a way to “vent out”. Our words have so much power in them, and in this field, it’s easy to weaponize our words toward other actors, choreography, directors, stage managers, and even patrons.
It’s a field that fumes off gossip (which I won’t lie, I struggle with big time). It’s just “part of the norm”, it’s bonding, it’s “venting”, whatever you want to call it, it’s more likely than not, destructive.
Gossip and complaining can be a part of any field! But specifically in the theatre world, it runs rampant! Most artists don’t see gossip as a bad thing, but as Christ-followers, it’s probably something we should be extra aware of.
Contentment and bringing our thoughts to God can change the game in a production. Instead of venting to another castmate, vent to the Lord (it sounds silly, I know, but just try it). When we bring every thought to the Lord, we’re able to gain more perspective on how big God is, and how small our temporary discomfort.
Again, I'm here with you! I start rehearsals for a summer contract this week, and this is what I want to be reminded of every day.
Will I fail? Probably, but praise God for new mercies every morning.
Here's to trying and praying that my words give life and Lord willing, life to the fullest!
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