Followers

Friday, October 21, 2011

Preparation from the Past

The plaza at Moody Bible Institute from my room window on the 18th floor.

I've often heard it said that everything that happens to us happens for a reason. That it's preparing us for something down the road. I have put faith in that very thing, though the answer was not clear.

Thank God for the nights we have unknowingly been prepared for.

October 2005, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL: The annual Mr. Moody competition draws nigh. An opportunity for each brother and sister floor (divided into floors because of the urban nature of our 19-story dormitory) to put on a small-scale production in hopes of one representative being named "Mr. Moody." This year the theme was "make your own country." We had a rather colorful resident on our floor from Korea named John Oh. We decided our country would be Johnopia. I became involved when we heard about phase 2 of the production: Sing your national anthem. Being that I am a one-man band of sorts, I was perfect for this job. John told me he wanted it to be a rap song, so I came up with a basic beat and we ran with it. John created a rap. Then we created an elaborate dance to the song.

Things were shaping up to be quite top-notch. The only slight problem was that it was scheduled for a Friday night, and every week on Friday night I would travel north to Wrigleyville and help out at our church's youth group. So I asked John a few weeks before the spectacle: "Do you need me to be IN the production? Just say the word and I will tell them I can't be there on that Friday. But if you don't need me, I'll still go to youth group and wish you all the best." His response: "I think we'll be ok without you there."

Fast forward 3 days. John frantically approaches me: "Matt! Can you still be in the production?" No, John. I told them I would be at youth group.

In the coming days, I wrestled with what I should do. We had big plans for youth group that night too, and without me the night would not be the same. So I committed to going to the youth group instead of the glorious Mr. Moody competition. I knew I'd miss out on some fun, but I knew that someday, this would come back to me in a positive way. So I went to youth group that night. It turned out to be a great night.

When I returned back to the school that evening, I heard about how the night went. The national anthem was a smash hit; all the people there in the plaza were singing along. Everything was pointing to our win. But then, in the very last stage of the performance, there was a technical problem with the amp and the guitar that were being used (the very thing that I would have been there for), and it killed the crowd's excitement and we ended up losing the competition. A bummer, for sure.

October 2011, Orange County, California: Opeth, one of my top 3 favorite bands was coming to town. Their new album was my favorite in a long time. The set list was released and it may as well have been my own personal list of favorite songs from them. We checked my work schedule and I was free. I had the money to spare. Let's do this.

Fast-forward to the week of the show. Somehow, the schedule they kept at the office showed that I worked a day that I didn't have on my calendar. It was Friday.

I looked at my list of co-worker's phone numbers, and called all of those who weren't scheduled to work that day. None of them could fill my spot. I had to miss one thing or the other.

So I was in a familiar spot. I had disappointed my roommate who bought the tickets, but promised him I would still give him the price of the ticket. Still, he wanted to go to this show with me, and I had failed. So I had to make a decision, but I knew which one was right. It was clear. I'd been through this before. I may miss out on some fun, but God knows my every move, and I cannot hide my choice from him.

So through my roommate's temptings and attempts to sway me to go to the show, I still knew what I should do. I was prepared for this moment. I had missed out on something before, but in the end, that event was a disappointment anyway.

So I went to work, and it was a good night. Things flowed smoothly, I filled the role that only I could, and my conscience was clean. I had a feeling that would happen.

No comments:

Post a Comment