I Believe

This past Sunday, Michele and I went to the Broadway Theater in the heart of Manhattan to see "The Color Purple" starring American Idol winner and J Records recording artist Fantasia Barrino. It was a very entertaining show, and to anyone who loves the theater, Fantasia, and/or "The Color Purple," or if anyone just wants to see a good show, I would strongly recommend that you see this musical.

However, in the week leading up to the show, I had mixed emotions about the play. First of all, Fantasia is one of my favorite singers, if not THE favorite, so I couldn't wait to see her live and in person. Secondly, however, I am not a very big fan of theater, so I wasn't sure how I was going to like it. On top of all of that, while I had seen the film version of "The Color Purple" before, I didn't really remember too much about the story except that Danny Glover, Whoopie Goldberg, and Oprah starred in it.

Well, after seeing the Broadway version of the story, I've come to realize exactly how inspiring, uplifting, and spiritual the story really is. While it is about a lesbian, domestic violence, and adultery, it's also about the resiliency of the human spirit to rise above life's trials. It's also about the importance of self-dignity, self-worth, and self-respect. But more importantly, it's about hope and faith in something greater than ourselves.

Throughout the musical, we watch as Celie, the main character, whose physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by both her father and her husband, struggles to find her faith in God. At the beginning of the story, Celie prays constantly to God. She prays for her children, who have been taken away from her by her father. She prays for her sister, who aspires to be a schoolteacher. And she prays for herself, that God might deliver her out of her situation.

However, over time, as the situations and people in her life continually beat her down, Celie loses faith in God, who she believes would not allow her to go through what she's been through if He really cared for her. "God ain't never did nothing for me," Celie exclaims, as every thing and every one that she's ever really loved is taken away from her, including her children, her sister, and later, her lover, Shug Avery.

But, by the end of the play, God has restored everything that Celie has lost and given her so much more. Celie finally comes to realize that God purposely allowed those hardships to take place in her life so that she might become a better person, that she might see beauty in herself even though people call her ugly, and lastly, that she might believe that she can have God's best for her life despite her situation.

And that, I think, is a message that we should apply to our lives as well, that no matter what our circumstances are, no matter what situation we find ourselves in, we can have God's best for our lives if we just keep believing. So, if you haven't seen the play already, please see it. It will inspire, uplift, and motivate you to keep believing in yourself and in God.

Many blessings,
J.W.