Five Lessons I Learned from "The Greatest Showman

Have you ever found a movie that you just "connect" with somehow? Something about it resonates with you and you simply fall in love with it. Well, that happened to me this last spring, the first time I got to see The Greatest Showman.

 I know a lot of people who enjoyed the movie and even call it their favorite; for me, though, it goes beyond being something I just really enjoyed. It truly impacted me, and it's one I can watch over and over without getting tired of it (and still experiencing the same emotional response to it as the first time I watched!) Beyond enjoying the awesome music, the amazing choreography, and the sweet story, the movie has a lot of messages that deeply resonate with me. Here are some of the things I took away from it:

1. "A Million Dreams for the World We're Gonna Make." From the beginning of this movie, I was very drawn to and inspired by the song "A Million Dreams" because I could so relate to the lyrics it held. I've always been a dreamer, envisioning the way the world could be and how maybe I could play a part in changing it for the good. Hearing young Barnum share his heart and vision stirs something in my own heart and gives me the desire to do my part in impacting the world (even if it's just a small piece of the world that I get to influence.) I think that God gives each of us dreams and desires for a purpose, and He wants to use us to shape the world! 

It's easy to just "let life happen" and to be so discouraged by the overwhelming needs around us that we don't even try. I think, though, that we need to have the perspective that even if we only help one other person--encouraging them, blessing them, investing in them-- it could start a chain reaction that we may never see the full impact of this side of Heaven. You never know; what you do for even just one other person might be the start of a major change in the world. 

2.) "You Don't Need Everyone to Love You; Just a Few Good People." One of my favorite lines from the movie also comes from my favorite character, P.T. Barnum's wife Charity. In the movie, Barnum is able to share his dreams and vision with the world and is at the height of his success, and yet he is still determined to earn more praise, recognition...love. Growing up as a poor tailor's son left invisible scars on his heart, so he finds himself (like many of us) striving to earn the respect, love, and admiration of as many people as possible. Charity reminds him (and us), though, that we don't need everyone to love us. Instead, we need to look around and realize how many good people already do love us, and what a blessing and gift that is. I know for me, I am often just blown away when I really stop and realize how many wonderful people God has placed into my life that truly love me. I don't want to miss out on these precious people because I am seeking still others to show me love and appreciation.

3. "No One Ever Made a Difference by Being Like Everyone Else." The Barnum family are not exactly the "status quo" of their time in this movie. They face ridicule, ostracism, and some pretty severe challenges and set-backs as they work to bring their visions and dreams to others. However, the quote above pretty much captures the truth of the matter: to make a difference in the world, we have to BE different. I'm sure Barnum didn't intend a purely spiritual truth when he said this, but it really matches up with what God calls us as Christians to do. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2, NIV) We were made by God to be set apart from this world, to be a light to those lost in darkness. It is only by being different that we can truly make a difference.

4. "However Big, However Small, Let Me Be Part of It All." I absolutely adore Charity Barnum in this movie. Her loyalty to her husband and intense support of his dreams is such a good reminder for me as a wife, but I also just love her sweet contentment with life; she doesn't desire the best things, and isn't constantly seeking "more". Instead, she is genuinely happy with even the poorest lifestyle, and can find beauty and blessing in it with ease. What a good example for us; can we find the same contentment, no matter what our circumstances? Can we experience joy and true gratitude no matter how much or how little we have? With Christ's empowering Spirit, yes we can: "...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Phillipians 4:11b-13 NIV) Living without contentment robs us of enjoying so many sweet blessings (to read more about how this can happen, check out the guest post I wrote on Raising Rice's website here) but contentment opens our eyes to how wonderful our lives truly are.

5. "It's Everything You Ever Want; It's Everything You Ever Need; It's Here Right in Front of You. This is Where You Wanna Be...THIS is the Greatest Show." 

The biggest lesson that P.T. Barnum learns by the end of The Greatest Showman is that in all of his seeking and hoping for the best in life, he almost misses the simple and beautiful truth that the "greatest show" is there right in front of him, in the wonderful wife and precious daughters he has been given. I think sometimes we can get so caught up in seeking "the next big thing" that we miss what is here in front of us, right now, TODAY.
This is it. This moment, now, is something we only dreamt of before: marriage, children, the job we went to school for, the precious friends we never thought we'd actually have, LIFE. Our lives are filled with amazing blessings and gifts, and if we aren't careful we will miss them in the seeking of "more". I can't get through this last truth, portrayed so sweetly at the end of the movie, without crying. I really want to "get" this, guys, and I hope you do too. I don't want to get to the end of my life and realize I missed "The Greatest Show". Let's keep our eyes open and our hearts thankful for the fantastic, amazing, once-in-a-lifetime show God is playing out in our lives right now. 

"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12 ESV)

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity..." (Ephesians 5:15-16a)