My husband and I were so privileged to receive tickets to the OC Performing Arts musical of Mamma Mia last night. What an amazing, energizing and delightful performance! Many of us couldn’t help but sing along to the music of Abba.

Before the musical, my husband leaned over and whispered, “Do you know what this is about?” I replied, “I think it’s about a daughter getting married. I can’t quite remember. It’s been a long time since I saw the movie.” Boy, I was a bit off! Yes, a wedding does occur but the story line is really about a young woman who believes knowing the identity of her father would bring clarity to her own existence. As the story unfolds we see the mother (played by Kaye Tuckerman-Matrix Reloaded) is really the one who discovers who she is. She’s a misunderstood tough woman who lived the past twenty years with bitterness from a misunderstood lost love.  Not only do we see a grown woman and single parent haunted by her mistakes but we see she’s never experienced a life of joy or freedom from her past.

I’m sure many of us could relate to her…wanting the secret to be revealed, but afraid of the outcome yet knowing the burden of a lie is sometimes too heavy to bear.  Through a series of actions by her daughter, the secret comes out and we see (1) how relieved she is, (2) her family and friends are more understanding than she ever imagined, and (3) she is now free from the lie to love and live joyfully like she was intended!

My mind kept thinking back to the verse: And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. John 8:32 Our God is a loving God, so much we cannot phantom His love for us. Like a father, He yearns for us to come to Him and reveal the truth of our sin so He can set us free from it. His dearly beloved Son sacrificed His life to wipe away our sins so we can be free to live and love the way He created us to be. Sin will always separate us from Him and the ones we love.  What’s keeping you from being free?