The Opera Guy

I caught this on the news (of all places) last week and had to look it up. A guy by the name of Paul Potts was on the show Britain's Got Talent. If you haven't seen the video, click here to check it out. I just loved what happened.

He walks on stage during the auditions wearing a cheap suit and looking half frightened out of his mind. The judges (including Simon Cowell) are sitting there and ask him what he was going to do. "I'm going to sing opera" Paul said simply. You could see the judges rolling their eyes and you could almost hear them thinking "oh, no!"

Then the music starts, and out of this scared, average looking guy comes this incredibly beautiful sound. Within seconds the crowd is cheering like he's a rock star. Just a reminder – this is opera! By the time he is done, audience members are wiping tears from their eyes (and one of the judges is too) and Simon just looks stunned.

Of course, he passes on to the next round and even ends up winning the whole competition. The winning performance is here.

I really don't even know what to say, except that I was moved when I saw this video. I always find it moving when something extraordinary comes from someone so ordinary. It's why I like most sports movies. There's just something about rooting for the underdog, which is what most sports movies are about, that gets to me.

The Christian life is a lot like the Opera Guy. Just like the judges rolled their eyes at the Opera Guy, I've had people roll their eyes at me when I profess what I believe. Sometimes, I've shrunk from the challenge. It is scary to stand on that stage, alone, and saying you are going to do something that, on first glance, no one thinks you can or even should do. But, just like the Opera Guy, I know that God can make something beautiful happen – if I just walk on that stage and trust him to work through me.