A graduation gift that Chelsea and other members of my family gave me was enrollment to an online class about writing music for musical theater. I’m excited about the opportunity because I’ve always been interested in musical theater. I did some acting prior to college as part of a drama association and have also had a chance to utilize those skills in my pastoral ministry with both writing, directing, and acting in various church productions. The class begins next week and lasts for thirty days. A video I had to watch before class officially begins discussed how to choose a story that could be turned into a musical. One of the things mentioned was that the protagonist, the main character in the story, should be active. In other words, events and situations shouldn’t happen to the person as they passively float through the story. Instead, the protagonist should be the one making the decisions and actively achieving what they want.

As I thought about this, I realized that it would be well for each of us to take that advice to heart. We are the protagonists in our own stories. Sometimes we spend too much time letting life happen to us as we passively float through it. Instead, we should be actively achieving our goals and desires. The wisest man to ever live put it this way: “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). As we begin this new year, let’s begin planning our way. Listen for the way the Lord is directing your steps, then spend some time planning. You are the protagonist in your own story. It’s time to transition from being passive to being active. God has a plan for your life and this year is the perfect time to start carrying out that plan.