The Glory in the Grind

The Understudy What do understudies do? Understudies learn the lines and roles of actors in theatrical performances to act as a backup or replacement in case the actors cannot perform because of sickness or other emergencies. How do understudies glorify the Lord by reflecting characteristics of the Lord? There are multiple key leaders throughout the Bible who spent several years of their lives as “understudies” to kings in their nations and to other major leaders in Israel’s history. They were there in case the main leader was killed or severely injured beyond capacity to lead. This provided the perfect training for when they eventually were called to play the lead role. This included Joshua with Moses, David with Saul, Nehemiah with Artaxerxes, Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar, Timothy with Paul. The Holy Spirit played an understudy role to Christ, allowing Him to have all the attention when He was in the flesh on Earth, but not long after Christ’s ascension, the Holy Spirit took a leading role in the advancement of the kingdom of the Lord. Each person of the Trinity is willing to play an understudy role to the others to magnify their glory. Those in Christ are called to act as understudies to mature believers in the church to become more mature themselves and take on leadership responsibilities when the leaders must step out. Many people, probably most, will only play the role of the understudy their whole lives, never having the chance to play a lead role in front of thousands of audience members. This, however, does not make their lives any less significant as we see in Colossians that we are all called to work with all our heart as for the Lord and that Christ has created all things, even seemingly menial jobs, for His glory. Scriptures Hebrews 13:7–9 ESV: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.” Colossians 3:23–24 ESV: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Also Reference Nehemiah 1:11 1 Samuel 16:21 Joshua 1:2 Colossians 1:15–20 Colossians 3:17 1 Timothy 1:18–19 How do understudies glorify the Lord by serving the people? Understudies are critical to helping the main actors and actresses feel assured that if they became unavailable because of an emergency, the show would continue and fans would still be happy. This allows the actors and actresses to perform better because they have the permission to take care of their personal lives when needed. The understudy role provides great training for future lead actors and actresses. What would happen if we did not have understudies? Without understudies, the show would not go on, and performances would be canceled, disappointing hundreds of enthusiastic audiences. Without understudies, actors and actresses could be pressured to perform while sick, which would lead to a poor performance and a severely sick lead actor. Without understudies, the lives of actors and actresses would be less happy and stable as they would not have the ability to address critical emergencies in their lives. Food for Thought If you are an understudy, do you feel gratified knowing that your mere presence makes for a high-quality performance and a satisfied audience? If you are in a subordinate job, do you see the significance of your job in advancing your organization’s mission and vision and ultimately contributing to the greater good of society? If you are a Christ follower, are you allowing yourself to be led and discipled by someone more mature in the faith than you are? Are you humble enough to submit to their teaching and wisdom and to the Bible’s teaching and wisdom? If you are not a follower of Christ, have you considered that the story of all life, of humanity, and its Author as revealed in the Bible may be the best story ever told? Would you like to get to know Jesus Christ, the author and lead actor in the story of life?