The Boys Next Door and Where We Are Headed

Last night my wife and I had the pleasure of viewing the play "The Boys Next Door" by the Actor's Coop, which has been performing plays the move the soul on our church campus for 14 years. The director of this play, Nan McNamara, is a friend of ours, and she indicated that the cast actually visited a handicapped program as a part of their research into preparation for the play.

This play is the story of four mentally challenged men living in a communal residence under the supervision of an earnest, but increasingly "burned out" social worker. In the story of the daily lives of these four very special guys, where small things sometimes become momentous (and often hilarious), are moments of great truth.

The most moving moment of the evening for me was the dance scene at a handicapped community center. A young man and woman, who obviously have a crush on one another, are dancing in a rather haphazard fashion, much like the picture above. Although the dancing is awkward and halting, there is much joy beneath the surface of this scene.

And then suddenly, in an instant, the music changes slightly, the theater lighting softens, and the facial expressions of the actors are transformed. We are in caught up in their dream. And miraculously, the dancing is now perfect; gone is the halting awkwardness, the facial expressions of childish wonder. The couple moves together flawlessly, executing dance steps that would be difficult for even us "normal" folk. This is, a glimpse of glory divine, if you are looking for it.

We lead these awkward, halting, faltering lives down here on Earth. We stumble, make big mistakes, skin our knees. We constantly attempt to stand upright again. There is a Kingdom where all things shall be made new; lives restored, broken hearts healed. A place where the dance is perfect. This place is our real Home. We are promised that someday, it shall be for us all, when we head Home.

If only we could find these glimpses of Home more often, and have a better ability to perceive them as they occur around us.

The photo above is courtesy of this good place.