It Was A Dress Rehearsal

Last week a friend of mine shared with a group of us that he was once promoted to manage a retail store that generated $1.5 million in sales. As excited as he was about receiving the promotion, he said that he found the challenges of his new role quite daunting. Not long after his promotion, he said that he stood in the middle of the store, and it dawned on him that “had no idea what he was doing or what he was supposed to do.”

Well, this week I plan to inform him that his self assessment was incorrect. After our conversation, I was reminded of a scene in the film Hoosiers, where the coach takes his hillbilly basketball team inside the gym where they will be competing for a state championship game. When the team arrives at the gym, they are immediately awed. The gym is much bigger than any other gym they have ever played in, and the competition is much better. But the first thing that the coach does to prepare his team for the new challenge is to measure the distance between the floor and the basketball rim. He reminds them everywhere you go, the basketball rims are ten feet from the ground. The not so subtle message that he was trying to convey is that their new environment had not changed the fundamentals of the game. In every gym-no matter how plush, palatial, or polished—the basketball rims are the same distance from the floor, and the only way to win is to put the ball through the rim more times than your competition. New role, same responsibility. My friend’s self assessment was not true. Because regardless of the size of the store, the responsibility of the manager is the same. You gotta sell stuff. LOL.

In Acts 2 Scene 7 of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Jacques utters these immortal words:

All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players; they have their exits and entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…

By comparing life to a stage and people to actors, Shakespeare may have been attempting to point out the hypocrisy that attends so much of what we do. After all, the word hypocrite means to pretend, and pretending to be someone else is essentially what actors do. However, I also think that Shakespeare’s comparison can be understood at a far deeper level than just pretending. By comparing life to a stage and people to actors, Shakespeare may also have been attempting to point out that life presents us with different roles in life, and how we meet the challenges that each role presents will determine the quality and the impact of our lives.

For example, I currently perform several roles in life. Included among them are Pastor; Leader; Husband: Father; Son, and Brother. On Fridays, I am also a writer. Each of these roles require a different skill set, present different challenges, and sometimes, these roles conflict and compete. However, each of these roles carry a responsibility, and how I respond the responsibility that each of them carries will determines the quality and impact our of my life.

Life presents all of us with many different roles. And sometime we feel inadequate for the responsibilities that our roles bring us. But we must realize that even though we may be in a new role, the responsibilities of the new role may not be new. Upon more careful consideration and deeper deliberation, we may realize that we have been down this road before. In fact, it may soon dawn upon us that our past success has already prepared us for the new challenge. We may soon discover that our previous experience was a dress rehearsal.

According to one definition, a rehearsal is “a session of exercise, drill, or practice, usually private, in preparation for a public performance or ceremony.” Anyone who has played sports, graduated from school, participated in a wedding, sung in choir, played an instrument in a band, or even acted in a play is familiar with the idea of a dress rehearsal. Rehearsal is where you learn what to do, where to stand, and who is who. Rehearsal provides you with an overview of the main event without the pressure. Rehearsal allows you to practice without judgement and receive the necessary feedback to improve your performance.

Here’s my point: every success you have experienced in life has been a dress rehearsal for the future roles you have to perform. This is why it is so important to rehearse your victories. Far too many of us spend far too much time rehearsing our failures. We obsess over what we did wrong, how we missed the target, and who didn’t do what. But instead of spending so much time rehearsing your failures, start rehearsing your victories. Obsess over what you did right, what targets you hit, and who helped you.

After a decisive battle during their march to the promised land, Israel’s leader summoned his generals to the battlefield and made them engage in a powerfully symbolic action. After discovering that the Kings of the armies they had been fighting were hiding in a cave, Joshua commanded that they be brought out the cave. Then, according to Joshua 10:24-25, this is what he did:

When they brought them out, Joshua told the commanders of his army, “Come and put your feet on the kings’ necks.” And they did as they were told. Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua told his men. “Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do this to all of your enemies.”

Joshua told his generals to put their feet on the necks of the kings whose armies they had just defeated. By doing so, he was trying to carve a permanent memory in their minds that their victory on that day was a dress rehearsal for the victories they would experience on subsequent days. He reminded them: the Lord is going to do this to all your enemies!

Here’s my point: every success you have experienced in life has been a dress rehearsal for the future roles you have to perform.

Every past victory was a dress rehearsal for your future victories.

Each past triumph was a dress rehearsal for your future triumphs.

Every past achievement was a dress rehearsal for your future achievements.

You have what it takes.

The arena may be bigger.

The competition may be stronger.

But the basketball rims are the same distance from the floor.