Devotional - Understudy

I was in the 7th grade and it was time for the school play. Arsenic and Old Lace was the title, perhaps best known as the film starring Carey Grant, this was a play I had never heard of at age 12. Well I didn’t land a big part; I was just a cop who had all of 6 lines or so. However my best friend in my class got the lead and he was excited. I didn’t even want the lead so I was glad that I had a small part, plus I thought it was cool because I got to swear in one of my lines. We had our practices every day after school and I would go home every day and practice the few lines I had so that I wouldn’t get them wrong. Our drama teacher was a little nuts, I guess most drama teachers are. We weren’t allowed to utter the word Macbeth inside the theatre because she said it would curse the play. We didn’t believe it for a minute. And if we did happen to utter that word, she would make us run in a circle and ask the theatre gods for forgiveness. I think the 60’s were a little rough on her. Anyways… weeks went by and dress rehearsal came; all the parents were invited to watch. But something happened to our lead performer that night. Right on the stage in the middle of the first act, he ran off the stage, down the center aisle and outside the door to vomit. He contracted stomach flu. Most plays have an understudy for the lead role, but we didn’t. Our drama teacher had to make a phone call and ask a friend of hers who was an actor to come fill in. We felt bad for our friend but were excited that a professional actor would fill in the part. We thought it might be someone famous, but it wasn’t. He was just a struggling actor in his late forties who had done a few commercials, and he was a little weird too. What made things even more weird was that we were all just kids having to go on stage with this adult, he really stood out amongst such young actors. On top of that, there was a romance between him and the lead female role in the play. Can you imagine seeing a man in his late forties doing a romantic scene with an 11 year old girl? It just wasn’t cool. To be honest, this was probably the worst play my school had ever put on and the problem was clear; there was not an understudy.

Who is your understudy? Do you even realize that you need one? Here are standards of an understudy: they know all the lines, blocking, choreography, cast and crew. Here’s the point, it is a seamless transition. When the lead has an illness or accident the understudy steps in and the show goes on without a hitch. Knowing this, we all need an understudy in ministry. Whether you are a greeter, assistant, lead teacher or something else entirely you need someone who you are reproducing yourself into. Whether you are here or not the show must go on. Having an understudy doesn’t mean that you are more important than that person, it means that you are pouring out what God has given you into that person and setting them up for success. Let’s face it, life is tough and as much as we might think that we will be here every week, emergencies can pull us away. If there is not someone there who is ready to step in when you step out, it can hurt the ministry, the team, and most of all the kids. This week I want to challenge you to look around you and see who might be a possible understudy, and little by little get into their world and bring some of your world to them. It will go a long way. Just as Elijah poured into Elisha we must pour into others. One more thought… Some people think that if things fall apart when they are gone it shows how much they are needed. Not true. How well things run when you are not there shows how much you empowered your team!