Billy Elliot and the Treasure of Our True Selves

Diversity is a given.  There are no two of us are alike.   We bear the imprint of our uniqueness in our very bodies.  It is not just our finger prints that are unique, but the patterns on our tongues, toes, and eyes.  It is not just our bodies that are unique, but our minds and souls as well.  

I was reminded of this when I watched a British movie about a boy named Billy Elliot.   Billy lived with his father, brother and grandmother in a coal mining town.  His mother had died some time previously.   His father and brother were coal miners on strike.   Out of the little money he had, Billy Elliot’s father gave Billy money for boxing lessons.  Billy went to the lessons wearing boxing gloves that had belonged to his father and grandfather.  The problem was that Billy did not want to box. 

A ballet group composed entirely of girls practiced in the same gym.  It was not long before Billy was giving his father’s money to the ballet teacher.  Things went along nicely until Billy’s father discovered what was going on. Billy was forbidden to go to ballet class again.  However he secretly met with the teacher.   When his father caught him teaching another boy to dance, Billy was defiant and danced across the gym.  His father recognized that Billy was a brilliant dancer.

In the church that I attended as a teenager it seemed to me that there was no room for choice, there was only one right way to think, to vote, to be.   I never seemed to fit expectations.  As an adult it was good to learn that Jesus had no standard type when he called disciples.   Jesus never told his disciples it was wrong to be a Zealot or wrong to support Rome.  He allowed room for individual choice in many matters.

The world often tries to fit us into a mold. I don’t think God wants us to lose our uniqueness and spend  time chasing the dream others have for us that do not fit who we  are.  I truly believe we bring God joy as we discover the treasure of our own true selves and act like an original rather than trying to be a copy.  So my friends bring God joy by being who you truly are.