In the performing arts, and especially in the western world, there is an incredible pressure to achieve uncanny heights of technical proficiency, share ourselves on and off the stage, and pursue public success (in the specific way that the industry defines it).
In this context, it is important for those with a specific revelation of Jesus Christ to remember what performance actually matters. It is not the one in the sight of people, but rather the one that is in the sight of God.
I still remember reading Psalm 51 for the first time. It struck me that the psalmist wrote that he had sinned against God and God alone, having my own experience seemed to always involve someone in addition to God.
But wait. The pressure to perform can rear its ugly head in the context of any relationship. Lest the pressures to perform interrupt our experience of Grace, we have to remember that there actually is grace. Any pursuit of performance should be in response to the overwhelming experience of God’s abiding love, fueled by His strength, and fulfilled in Him. Performance can not be our way to gain value, appreciation, or acceptance. If pressed into that service, performance will ultimately fail us.
No. In the context of divine love, we already have value. We already are appreciated. We already are accepted. In the sight of God we already are His beloved children.
Let us remember.