Thrown off ScriptSample

Day 5 - And!

Of course, the full improv mantra is “Yes, And”, so simply agreeing isn’t enough. Without the “and”, you won’t get very far. Improvising on stage and in life requires adding something of value. Interruptions offer opportunities to be a fountain—to pour value into someone else’s life. And before you start to think otherwise, let me tell you, you have so much value to add, even if you feel completely thrown off and drained.  

• Add your experience. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 doesn’t explain every reason for every hardship, but it does teach us that when we go to Jesus, the source of all comfort, we receive enough comfort for our own troubles, plus comfort to share with others down the road. God doesn’t waste a single tear.  
• Add your gifts. When you become a believer, you are given a gift, some of which are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7. Like the X-Men, we have the opportunity to use our unique gifts to work together and accomplish more than we could alone.  
• Add your effort. We find Paul in Ephesians 4:28 as a fan of good ol’ elbow grease. Some seasons in your life are going to require a bit of extra effort on your part. Not to win God’s favor (you already have it), and not so you can go about life on your own (that’s not the way life is meant to be). Rather, our extra efforts produce value we can offer to those in need.

Take it to God: Thank you for equipping me to do the work you have for me. Please show me opportunities to add my experience, my gifts, and my efforts to the work you are doing.

Take action: Take inventory of what God has given you. Start by coming up with three experiences and three gifts. Can you expand that list? Just like a craftsman knows the tools in his toolbox, get to know the value you can offer other people. You never know when God will call you into their life!

Conclusion

Recognize interruptions as opportunities, keep a loose grip on your plans, lean in to listen to God’s whisper, align your heart to God’s, and add the value you’ve been given. If you practice these, you will be well on your way to improvising in life. But just like improvisers on stage have tools to make a scene more vibrant, we life-improvisers can learn how to not only survive in the unexpected, but thrive in it. 

I hope you have found value in our time together here. If you are interested in diving deeper into these concepts and more, I invite you to visit thrownoffscript.com  and we can continue  the conversation there!