How did multiple rejections result in the hit series "Friends?"
When does losing your sight help you see the world and show others a better way to live?
God used "Sunday Morning on CBS" to answer all these questions and more before we left for church today. As I was making breakfast, I listened to these 3 stories, but I heard more than the news journalists speaking. GOD Himself was whispering in my ear and reminding me of His truths that need to penetrate deep into my heart.
When I came downstairs, the segment on Lisa Kudrow had already started, but I was able to catch the fact that she had tried out for NUMEROUS roles and been rejected time after time after time. None of the shows took off, nothing seemed to be working out. THEN, she was hired for a walk-on role as a waitress on the show "Mad About You." Evidently, that was what she needed to highlight her acting abilities and charm and lovable personality. Soon after, she was playing Phoebe on Friends, one of the most successful TV shows of all time.
As I thought about her rough beginnings, I wondered what would have happened if Kudrow had given up. How different would her life had been if she had abandoned her dream of acting? What if she had let the disappointment and rejection get to her? What if she had deemed herself a failure and admitted defeat?
BUT, SHE DIDN'T!!!
Phoebe might have been the typical blonde, but Lisa Kudrow definitely has some life lessons for us to learn!
NEVER GIVE UP.
God DOES have a plan for you.
A plan for a hope and a future (see Jeremiah 29:11).
He has placed dreams, desires, goals, visions, longings, and yearnings deep within your spirit.
Don't ignore them.
Don't push them aside.
Don't dismiss them or belittle them or take them lightly.
Instead, GO for it!
Listen to the truths God has for you, for me, for US in His Word:
"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." ~Ephesians 2:10
"So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then, the name of the Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with Him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ." ~2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
"Now all glory to God, who is able, through His might power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." ~Ephesians 3:20
As if that encouraging word from the Lord wasn't enough, God continued to speak to me via the next story on CBS. This time I listened as they shared the story of a mother who lost her son, a Marine. You wouldn't think a guy who was trained in dance would be one of the toughest men in our Armed Forces, but he was. Sadly, he was killed in an accident, despite his teams' desperate efforts to save him. The fire from the explosion was just too much, and they had to helplessly stand by and watch the flames take their friend's life.
To deal with her intense grief, the Marine's mother, a ballet instructor and choreographer, wrote and directed a show to tell the story of her son. She herself danced in the performance, along with numerous Marines who had served alongside her boy. When the journalist asked her what her ultimate goal in all of this was, she responded, "I want them to stop wishing they were the ones who had died. I want them to understand God had a reason for sparing them, that He has a plan for them, and that they need to make the most of each day they have been given and strive to fulfill those plans He has for them."
WOW!!! What perspective!
Again, I think of truths in Scripture that speak the same message to me, to you, to US today:
God puts you in a specific place at a specific time for a specific reason.
As He did with Esther:
"If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" ~Esther 4:14
And Joshua:
"Therefore, the time has come fro you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: 'Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you... No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." ~Joshua 1:2-9
And Paul:
"But the Lord said, 'Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take My message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake.' So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.'" ~Acts 9:15-17
And YOU:
"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Than you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous - how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." ~Psalm 139:13-16
You would think that my heart was full.
It was.
Overflowing really.
BUT, God likes to pour on the love.
So, He kept speaking to me.
The third story was of a 9-year-old boy losing his sight. Before he goes fully blind, his parents helped him create a list of things to see. They have visited the Grand Canyon and seen the Aurora Borealis in Alaska. They have toured the inside of a water tower and investigated chalk under a microscope. They have dived into the ocean and seen the wonders of the underwater world. All their adventures serve a purpose - providing their son with memories NOW so he can relate to his own kids later and talk with them and understand what they are describing to him and live that moment out with them.
I thought about how often I take my sight for granted.
I wondered what I would put on my "Must See" list if I knew I was going to lose my vision.
I prayed for my brother-in-law Russell who IS losing his sight and how that must feel for him.
I thanked God for my health, my sight.
And I asked Him to help me SEE the world - the people and places around me - through HIS eyes.
We had to rush off to church at that point, but as we made the drive, I couldn't help but think of several more truths in God's Word:
"The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world." ~Psalm 19:1-4
"Taste and SEE that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him!" ~Psalm 34:8
"Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in Your instructions." ~Psalm 119:18
And then, as if God wanted to confirm all that He had spoken to me via CBS, we sang Colton Dixon's "You Are" during worship. I got a bit choked up as I belted out with my fellow brothers and sisters, "If I had no voice, if I had no tongue
I would dance for You like the rising sun
And when that day comes and I SEE your face
I will shout Your endless, glorious praise"
The entire song reminded me of the lessons I had learned while holding a baby on my hip and quickly shoving some yogurt and oatmeal into my mouth:
When I can't find the words
To say how much it hurts
You are the healing in my heart
When all that I can see
Are broken memories
You are the light that's in the dark
I thought of the mother who lost her son while serving our country...
And when my circumstance
Leaves me with empty hands
You're the provider of my needs
When all my dirtiness
Has left me helpless
You are the rain that washes me
I thought of Lisa Kudrow and how she must have felt empty when nothing seemed to be working out for her acting career...
As we sang about the day when we would see Jesus' face, I thought of the boy losing his vision. Should he put his trust in Jesus as his Savior, this boy has yet to see the most amazing sight possible - Jesus Himself.
For in heaven, there will be no sickness.
There will be no blindness.
And our eyes will be fully opened to see God in person, His majesty on complete display.
We will be enveloped by His power and love and grace and glory.
And we will "shout His glorious, endless praise."
Until that day comes, may we be found living out the plans and purposes God has for us.
May we wake up each morning, realizing the fact that we are here on this earth for a reason.
May we believe we are God's workmanship, fearfully and wonderfully made.
May we look deep into our hearts and awaken the dreams and desires God Himself has put within us.
May we have the courage and faith to carry them out and bring them to fruition.
May we remember "greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world."
May we get up, get dressed for battle, and join the victory march.
May we proclaim the goodness of God and spread His love and joy and peace and power to all those we meet.
And may we be listening for God to speak to us...
even if He decides to use CBS...
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