By Alysha Mitchell
In this final week of crazy rehearsals and wacky madness that is theater, I’ve had time to reflect on the human-nature struggle and perhaps American-raised desire for independence versus the willingness to accept help.
Ouch. Did that hurt you too? Don’t be too worried; this isn’t a guilting tirade.
The first rule we learn when we begin acting is “Don’t say no.” Now, mostly, this applies to improvisation, and the reason for this rule is so that we can always be progressing the story. The idea is that when another actor offers a suggestion, one is supposed to accept that help and continue helping to progress the story by taking that idea and making something more out of it.
Even having been trained to say yes to “help” since high school, there are still moments where my natural reflex kicks in, onstage and off, and I, in some way or another, refuse to accept help that has been offered. It’s that that’s always a bad thing, but refusal to accept help more often than not is a dangerous habit. I call it the “I’ve got this” mentality.
Huh? Well, simply put, “I’ve got this,” pretty much sums up my existence before I accepted what Jesus Christ did at the cross and through His resurrection to redeem me to my Holy Creator. I don’t know that I was messed up by societal standards, but I was messed up by God’s holy standards. I was actively blind to (or I chose to ignore rather) the fact that I am not sufficient in my separated, sinful self to get back to my God. I walked around believing being decent and “doing good” was enough. And that selfish pride is just one of many reasons I would have been destined to Hell if it weren’t for the grace and mercy of The Lord to reveal Himself and His Holy Character as an actual reality to me.
In John 14:6, Jesus makes the bold statement, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” No, this verse did not play a significant role in the moment I chose to accept Jesus’ help. It has, however, played a significant role in my better understanding why. Jesus, the Son of God, came down here and took the punishment and the Wrath for MY sin. (It doesn’t really mean much until it gets personal; yes, He took on the sin of the world, past, present and future, but that meant nothing to me until it got personal.)
You see, God’s justice NEVER comes at the expense of His Holiness (His holy character). Sin must/had to be paid for. That’s what Christ did in His death. He took the shame and wrath of all my sin and paid for it. And when the time came, God showed me why that was important and offered to help.
I cannot express my gratitude that Jesus extended His helping hand to me and pulled me out of my sinking waters or my gratitude for the grace to know I needed His help and accepting it.
Alysha Mitchell