Hamilton

When I was growing up, I developed a vivid imagination. It was sparked by several stories that literally animated my childhood, mainly fairy tales that Disney brought to the big screen: the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan….the list goes on. Those fantasy stories were just the beginning–as I grew older, the stories became more elaborate, and my imagination also increased in sophistication. I was introduced to C.S. Lewis and the chronicles of Narnia, but then J.R. R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings trilogy followed, which truly captured my heart and ignited my imagination. My father read the books to me when I was little, but in my high school years the epic movies were released. Looking back, I must admit I did become overly obsessed with this particular tale of adventure and courage. I joke that I might have funded my entire college education with the money spent on seeing the films in theaters. When the third and final movie was released I could not stop crying for three days because I was so heartbroken that the great saga was over.

Crying about a movie may seem excessive and perhaps it was, but as I matured I recognized the real reason for my tears. I was not weeping over the end of a series of movies, but mourning the loss of Jesus Christ. In high school, I separated myself from the Lord. High school was a difficult experience, and I gave up putting my trust in Him because I could not find His presence there. The Lord of the Rings trilogy represented my last connection to Jesus–through those movies, I saw Jesus and walked with Him. This could actually be true of every story, even fairy tales, that I learned about in childhood. Through those stories, the Lord created my imagination that was the means through which He began to communicate with me. Of course, I didn’t know that when I was younger. If I had, I might not have been so upset whenever one of these stories “ended” as far as its run in movie theaters or on television was concerned. On each occasion of these finales, I would be overcome with fear; I was forced back to face reality, and in that reality, I missed God. Those fantasies inspired love, faith, and hope to anyone who really listened to them. The characters in the stories are willing to sacrifice all they had, even their lives, for the greater good. This noble ideal is an impulse that I believe the Lord placed in every one of us when we were created. God is love, and He wants us to know the depth and breadth of His love. I learned about that love through investing time in those stories and wanted to follow in the footsteps of those characters. I longed to fight for the greatest possible good in this world, which is to spread the love of God for all people.

As I grew up, I realized I did not need those stories to know and walk with Jesus. He reignited my imagination in unexpected ways and presented me with my own epic story, which was His plan for me. He continues to provide beautiful stories that remind me of the hope He gives to all of us. They remind me that we are searching for the one reason to live and to fight. Some may not know exactly what they are fighting for, but the Lord’s presence in directing their fight is evident.

I was blessed to have the opportunity to watch the Broadway hit “Hamilton.” This musical was not only a hit on Broadway, but it rocked the entire nation. Tickets were impossible to obtain unless you were willing to spend your life savings, or were fortunate enough to be a millionaire. I was curious as to what made this musical so special. Even as I watched it, I still questioned what made it so unique. It was incredibly well-executed, but so many Broadway musicals are similarly precise and filled with high quality performances. It was after I finished watching that I recognized how much of the production had imbedded itself into my very soul. I could not stop thinking about the story and the characters. My heart had become attached to the tale in the way it had to the adventures of the Lord of the Rings epic. In the story of Hamilton, I could empathize with the leading man’s drive to fight for what he believes. Each character in the production stands out in having his or her own story to tell, and each one has his or her ideal worth fighting for. They all have their flaws, which only intensified my desire to be like them because they were human just as I am. I think the reason “Hamilton” is such a success is because we are a people starved for an ideal which we can believe in again. This is a difficult time in our history, and when people re faced with hopeless circumstances, they cry out for hope in their despair.

I can easily fall into depression during these uncertain times, but now I can flood my mind with the inspiring songs from “Hamilton” and begin to feel better. This musical is by no means a solution to the problems facing the world today, but it does remind us of the power of the human spirit. Through the message contained in that music, my imagination is reignited, and I once again find myself walking with Jesus Christ, fighting for the greater good.