A Custom Role
There’s a role designed for each one of us.
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If you ever saw the movie Princess Bride, you surely remember the giant Fezzik. This charismatic giant was played by André Roussimoff, better known as André the giant, who was famous for his professional wrestling career. Although today it is difficult to imagine any other actor in that role, when we read some interviews from the team we learn that he almost does not accept the role.
At first, the film conflicted with an important fight in his career as a wrestler; but it was eventually canceled. Even so, André was unsure whether to accept the role or not, because he thought he would not be good enough.
A Leap of Faith
While it is true that he fitted the description of the role perfectly, André was worried his French accent and the little English he knew would not allow him to say his lines correctly. He auditioned anyway and got the role even though the director could not understand a word he said.
In the end, the director recorded all the lines on a cassette so that André could listen to them and understood how he should pronounce his dialogues. All of this led to the movie we know today. André himself told his colleagues that he liked to be on the set of the film because nobody stared at him. The giant that never fit anywhere now had a custom role.
The interesting thing about all of this is that William Goldman, the writer of the original novel, said that when he wrote Fezzik’s character he was writing the role with André in mind. The writer never imagined anyone else in Fezzik’s place, except André. He wrote the character just for him and yet, André almost doesn’t accept the role.
In real life, we are just like this. Although most of us are not actors, we are familiar with the idea of attending an interview to get a job or a position. We are always very nervous when this happens because we know that we have a lot of competition. We hope that our qualifications are sufficient to obtain the position. But we know that there’s a chance someone is better than us and we will not get the position.
We often carry this same mindset when we enter the Kingdom. We think that there are only a few positions available and that we will have to compete for them with all of our brothers and sisters in Church. We hope that our capacities and gifts are sufficient to get the role we desire. Other times, we reject positions because we think we are not qualified enough. However, in the Kingdom, the rules are different from those of any earthly company.
We Were Never Auditioning
There are plenty of positions available in the kingdom, and we don’t have to compete with others to get them. Nor should we worry about whether our qualities are sufficient for the position or we fall short. Our Lord is like this writer; He has already designed a specific role for each of us keeping us in mind at all times. The part we have to play has been written and designed specifically for each of us and, therefore, we should not compete with anyone for it. Because no one else can do it. Still, many times we act like André.
We think that we are not good enough and that we will not be able to play the role. Therefore, we ignore it. We do not realize that the role was written for us. If we do not comply with this part, no one else will; not in the way that we could do it. Like André, we may have some limitations. But this is only so that we do not lose sight of the fact that it does not depend on us, but we depend on God.
Just like the director of the film, He will be in charge of providing whatever we need so that we can complete our part. In André’s case, there were some tapes, in our case, it can be anything from a little more faith to a supernatural revelation. Whatever we need to complete our part, if we don’t have it He will provide it. We just have to be ready to answer the call.
The director of this great production will give us everything we need to do our part and fulfill the role that He has prepared for us. There is room for everyone in this company, a position tailored to our gifts, where we can grow and be fruitful.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” — Ephesians 2:10