I've read plenty of Shakespeare over the years, and there’s a phrase you’ve probably heard that comes from a monologue in his play, As You Like It: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." The character is saying everyone is playing a part in the unfolding drama of life. They enter through birth and exit through death.
So if we're all players on the stage of life, the obvious question is simple, yet profound: Who is the audience?
One of the things I remember from my theater days is the anxiety I’d feel before every performance. How will the audience accept me? Will they think I did a good job? Will they like me? I always made sure to have a few there who would be in my corner no matter what.
Then there was the audience of paying patrons who would have differing opinions based on their preferences, taste, and how their day was going. It would be a mixed bag.
But the audience that mattered most was the one writing the reviews: the critics. They held the power of the play’s success and of me as an actor.
I still remember when I had a leading role in the comedic play, The Underpants. No, we didn’t walk around in our underwear, but the reviews might have been better if we had. They were so bad I didn’t want to leave my house the next day. Let's just say that when Steve Martin produced an adaptation of the play on Broadway in 2002, he didn't call me.
But when I was in the production of Little Me and it got rave reviews, I walked a little taller. I couldn't wait to make the rounds and hear the joyous refrain of "great job” again and again. The applause of the critics mattered, and life was good.
We find ourselves surrounded by audiences of critics every day who freely dispense their opinions on everything from money to careers, morality, relationships, and what matters most in life. It can be unsettling. Yet we alone have to decide whose applause we’re going to play to, and that decision will ultimately write the story of our lives.
As a follower of Jesus, I’ve chosen to play to an audience of ONE because, in the end, His applause is the only one that matters. He is the one who gives us life and writes our epitaph. Making this choice means:
Standing on the side of Jesus and His ways, even when it's not popular.
Refusing to cave to the applause of cultural, political, and even religious correctness.
Living with a God-breathed sense of joy and peace in the middle of uncertainty and chaos.
This can be a lonely place, especially when the applause for those who dare to stand with Jesus is diminishing. Just ask Elijah, Daniel, Peter, and others who chose to play to the divine applause. While history may have forgotten them, God never did. That's why we’re still telling their stories.
In my nearly five-decade journey with God, I've learned that playing to an audience of ONE is the only way to stay in the game and finish strong. It’s the only way to leave a legacy that matters. While other applauses are enticing and enjoyable in the moment, they’re fleeting.
Then the day will come when we’ll step off the world stage and find ourselves standing alone before an audience of only ONE. And as His thunderous applause echoes through the heavens, we’ll know we made the right choice.