The Truth in Drama

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

I wore my W.W.J.D. bracelet long enough for at least osmosis to ingrain this basic truth into my being: doing what Jesus did is a good idea.

So when the Bible lifts up truth, and the speaking and living of truth in such a glorious and liberating light as “the truth will set you free”, then that’s something to more than just take note of. I will pursue that promise with reckless abandon if the promise on the other end is freedom.

I had always been what I define as a closet writer. I had piles on piles, books on books, journal upon journal of poems, short stories, doodles. All these writings I had composed over time since I was a kid but I never shared them. With anyone. Ever.

Why? Because I was being very truthful with what I wrote on those pages. Very truthful about my life, my feelings, my frustrations, my love and love lost, my hopes, dreams, fears, doubts. Truth was brushed, draped, flowing across and through every line that I had written because I could be as vulnerable as a turtle outside its shell knowing no one would ever read a word I had written. And so no one would turn me into turtle soup.

Well, who did this serve? Me? Yes. Writing was a personal release to me. It was a means of me communicating with God and personal growth. But I found myself challenged to forgo the shell in the real world. To let the truth of what I was feeling and experiencing flow into others who may need to know, through my writing, through my story, they weren’t alone. That they could have fears, dreams, hopes, desires, doubts, joys just like I had. Just like I have.

In whatever aspect of drama and performance you take part the adherence to truth must be paramount. No, this doesn’t give permission to be improper or breach subjects that are not developmentally appropriate for certain age groups. This is not permission to be a sap or unload your laundry list to the world. But it is an opportunity to get real. To talk appropriately about subjects that people shy away from in church settings. The very setting where I believe, we should be discussing them.

First of all, as a writer, what I write has to be true to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. When writing, I don’t simply write from memory of Bible stories. Writing is an opportunity to dive back into the truths of the Bible and let the God-breathed words of God be read again and again and consumed and studied. As a writer, the Bible is primarily where I go to find what I’m going to write next. The scriptures offer the truth that set people free. If that’s true, and I know it is, then we need to be sharing it.

Also, as a writer I have taken note from two of my favorite literary characters written. Anne Shirley, from the “Anne of Green Gables” series and Jo March from “Little Women”. Both these characters are written as writers and both, in their respective books, are challenged to write truth. To write what they know and go beyond writing fanciful drip and start writing the sometimes heart-wrenching and very vulnerable truth in their own lives. These challenges to write from their hearts, to expose themselves so truthfully on the page leads to a sort of liberation for not only their careers, but personal growth and development and the benefit of those around them.

Truth will imply some sticky subjects may be breached. Truth will guarantee that raw emotions, on both ends of the spectrum, may be laid bare. Truth will mean that darkness will be brought into light and lies will be washed in honesty and hope given.

Humanity relates to that desire for freedom in their lives. In the battle cry words, or rather, word of William Wallace as he speaks his last in the movie “Braveheart”:

“FREEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

But in the better words of Jesus Christ, the author of salvation, the giver of life, our Lord:

“The truth will set you free.”