Denzel Washington, a celebrated actor and minister, recently offered a profound distinction between stage acting and movie acting during an interview with CBS News alongside Jake Gyllenhaal. The two are currently starring in a record-breaking Broadway production of Othello. Washington remarked, “I’m a stage actor who does film; it’s not the other way around. I learned how to act on stage, not on film.” He elaborated, “Movies are a filmmaker’s medium. You shoot it, and then you’re gone and they cut together and add music and do all of that. Theater is an actor’s medium. The curtain goes up, nobody can help you.”
This contrast invites us to reflect on our own lives: Are we self-reliant actors on a stage, or are we participants in a grand production directed by God? Just as Washington’s insight applies to acting, we can extend it to other performative arts—symphonic music and dance—and see how they mirror our spiritual journey under God’s guidance versus our own.
The Stage, the Symphony, and the Dance of Life
Consider a symphonic performance. Each musician, from the violinist to the percussionist, plays a specific part under the conductor’s baton. If a single player decides to improvise outside the score, the harmony collapses. Similarly, a dance troupe moves in unison, guided by a choreographer’s vision. A dancer who breaks from the routine disrupts the beauty of the collective. In both cases, submission to a higher direction creates something transcendent—something no individual could achieve alone.
Life under God’s direction is much the same. The Bible affirms this in Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” When we trust God as our Director, Conductor, and Choreographer, we find our place in His eternal symphony and dance. But when we insist on our own script, tempo, or steps, we risk discord and isolation.
God’s Timing and Our Role
The story of the invalid at the pool of Bethesda in John 5 offers a vivid example. This man, crippled for thirty-eight years, waited by the pool for healing. Jesus, who likely passed him many times before, chose a specific moment to act. Why the delay? As Augustine of Hippo wrote, “God’s delays are not God’s denials.” The timing of this miracle aligned with God’s redemptive purpose, amplifying its impact for the kingdom. Had the man rejected Jesus’ command to “rise, take up your bed, and walk” (John 5:8), insisting instead on his own terms, he would have remained paralyzed—both physically and spiritually.
This echoes Washington’s stage analogy. On the stage of self-reliance, “nobody can help you.” But in God’s “movie,” the Director knows every scene. Thomas Aquinas reflected on divine providence, saying, “God has a universal care over all things, directing them to their ultimate end.” When we surrender to His direction, we participate in a story far greater than our own.
The Symphony of Submission
Imagine a symphony where the conductor is God Himself. Psalm 23:1 declares, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Like a conductor leading an orchestra, God guides us through each movement of life. C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, observed, “God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself.” To play our part in His symphony, we must follow His lead, not our own improvisations.
The Dance of Faith
Similarly, life as a dance under God’s choreography requires trust and obedience. The medieval mystic Julian of Norwich wrote, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well,” reflecting her confidence in God’s ultimate plan. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us into this dance: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me… For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” To dance with Christ is to move in step with His grace, not to stumble in our own frantic solo.
The Peril of Radical Individualism
Yet, the temptation to direct our own lives persists. Sociologist Robert Bellah warned of “radical individualism,” which “elevates the self to a cosmic principle.” This mindset mirrors a stage actor, a rogue musician, or a defiant dancer—each isolated and powerless. Søren Kierkegaard cautioned, “The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing. But because he wants to do it in his own strength, he is fighting not with man but with God.” When we reject God’s direction, we forfeit His power to transform us.
“You Lead. I Follow.”
The invalid at Bethesda chose differently. He obeyed Jesus’ command, and in doing so, experienced a miracle. Likewise, whether we see ourselves in a play, a symphony, or a dance, the key is submission. As Paul wrote in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” To say to God, “You lead. I follow,” is to step into His purpose.
Who is directing your life today—yourself or the One who knows the end from the beginning? In God’s production, every note, every step, every scene aligns with His glory and our good. Will you take your place in His story?
“Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.” —Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.