The Nutcracker

Our 7 year old daughter adores ballet. She is currently taking ballet lessons and working towards her Grade 2. When we heard that Scottish Ballet were coming to Inverness to perform The Nutcracker we decided we would get tickets as part of our daughters Christmas present. Before we had children my hubby and I used to visit the theatre all the time. We loved the performance, the costumes, the set design. It was always an amazing experience. However, going to see the Scottish Ballet this Saturday evening was nothing short of spectacular. The costumes were amazing, the set design and speed of change between scenes was amazing. The live orchestra was superb. Every single one of the cast members did such a fabulous job. The choreography, the skill. I more than highly recommend it. It was such an all-around professional performance that far outweighs anything we have ever seen before. Words just don’t do it justice.

I was thinking about how much training and preparation goes into a performance such as this. How many different skills are required. How every single person has a part to play and if one is missing, then it all could fall apart. How they train every single day, not until they get it right, but until they don’t get it wrong. Then, when it is time to perform, it goes flawlessly, because they have put in so much time and effort, been consistent and persevered. They reap the rewards of a live performance going smoothly. Everyone knows their role and where they need to be and everyone is supportive of each other, all working together, to achieve what they originally set out to do.

This is the way the Kingdom works. As a child of God we all have a part to play, a plan and purpose for our lives. It doesn’t contend with others in the Kingdom. We are not in competition with each other. Each persons role compliments the other and as they all work together in unison, God’s purpose comes to pass. The ballet dancers have to prepare for their performance. In the Kingdom we must prepare before the battle. If the ballet dancer waited until show day before they practised and tried to learn all the choreography and cues in a few short hours, the show would be a shambles. We know as children of God that there will be battles in this life that we will have to face. If we do not take the time to build ourselves up in the Word of God before the battles arrive, they too will knock us down. We will be unprepared to deal with whatever we are facing. Whereas if we put the effort in now. Learn how to trust, let go of control, build our relationship with God, learn how to hear his voice and be led by the Holy Spirit. We will be in a much better position to succeed when the battle comes.

We all know the story of David and Goliath. David trusts in God who helps him defeat the giant. Yet the giant was not David’s first battle. David had defeated lions and bears whilst watching over his fathers flock. He had seen God come through for him before, he had a close relationship with God. So when Goliath turned up he was confident – not in his own ability – but in God. He knew what God had promised and was able to defeat the giant.

Often times we look up to people we desire to be more like, wanting what they have. Yet we forget what it took for them to get there. The walk they have had to go through, the battles they have faced. Where they are right now is because they learned in their valley how to trust God, how to persevere and be consistent. They learned all about God’s character and their own identity in Jesus.

If we want to succeed in the battles life throws our way we must know who we are in Christ. We must spend the time now in preparation, listening for God’s voice, being obedient, training our body, soul and mind. Then when the battle comes we can be confidently assured that God is with us and will help us and strengthen us so that we will overcome whatever it is we are facing.