Everyone's talking about High School Musical. It's huge!
Who do you relate to most in the movie? Troy the basketball boy; Gabriella the freaky math girl; Ice Princess Sharpay; ditzy Ryan; Troy's best friend, Chad; or maybe Taylor, the leader of East High's scholastic decathlon team? It's easy to find someone you can connect with in this fun and zany movie.
Has it given you earworms yet? I'm not talking about the slimy creatures that crawl around in your backyard. Earworms are words, pictures, and lyrics you can't get out of your mind—no matter how hard you try! You get earworms from the things you read, watch, and listen to.
Here's what I mean: I bet I can give you titles of some of the tunes that Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, and Ryan sing, and you'll immediately know all the words. Let's try it with just a few songs from the movie:
"Start of Something New"
"Stick to the Status Quo"
"Get'cha Head in the Game"
"We're All in This Together"
Okay, you can stop singing and dancing for a minute. Do you see what I mean? Amazing—you probably didn't even need to see the karaoke version of the movie to sing all the words!
But now that you have the words—and the cool dances that go with each tune—in your head, maybe there's something more we can learn from the East High Wildcats about ourselves and others.
As Troy, Gabriella, and the rest of the Wildcats reach for the stars and follow their dreams—singing and dancing—we can learn about things like peer pressure, being yourself, loneliness, acceptance, and teamwork. Along the way we're going to check out some wise advice from a book that's been read by more people than any other book in history. And we're going to have fun doing it!
Talk about fun. I had a blast working on this book with my daughter, Gabi. She's the one who first introduced me to High School Musical. Besides attending middle school, playing clarinet, and hanging with friends, Gabi loves to do anything that has to do with High School Musical.
After about the fifth time I watched the movie with her, and after listening to the CD soundtrack nearly every day for several weeks, I got the idea to write a book about all the spiritual stuff you can get from the movie. So I started asking Gabi questions about the characters and songs from the movie. She was amazing! Gabi knew all the scenes plus the lyrics for every song. Sometimes she'd even act out different parts of the movie—she gets crazy sometimes! The next thing I knew, she and I were working on Wildcats in the House together. Hey, maybe this is the start of something new—a writing team! Look out, 'cause who knows what Steve and Gabi will come up with next! In the meantime, let's see what kind of stuff we can learn from the gang at East High.
So let's get ready to "rock the house"!
Troy and Gabriella meet by chance at a New Year's Eve party while on vacation. Neither one really wants to be at the party, but they both get chosen for karaoke and end up rockin' the house with their song "Start of Something New."
After they finish singing, Troy and Gabriella introduce themselves to each other. Tonight has been something new for each of them. Troy's usual microphone is the showerhead because basketball is his life, while Gabriella's only previous singing experience was in the church choir. Her comfort zone is being curled up in a chair reading a book. But they both say how much they liked their New Year's Eve performance.
Gabi says: Even though you might be afraid, you should always try something new. Good things just might happen to you.
The party is interrupted by fireworks as the New Year is ushered in. Just before they say good-bye, Troy and Gabriella exchange cell numbers and pictures—promising to call one another later.
At the party Troy and Gabriella took a big risk—even though they were forced into it. Remember the emcee who leaned over to them on stage and said, "Someday you'll thank me for this"? At first they were both nervous and uncomfortable, but by the end of the song they were having fun singing and dancing on stage.
Gabi says: I love the karaoke scene in the movie. I think it would be a cool part to be in because Troy and Gabriella looked like they were having fun.
Have you ever been in a situation like Troy's and Gabriella's, where you felt like you were being forced to try something new? I mean something more than eating a strange-looking vegetable at your aunt's house during a family gathering. I've had lots of experiences like this—including one that happened the first week of eighth grade at Hopkins Junior High. But before I tell you what happened, you need to know something about me when I was a teenager.
When I was a teen, especially in junior high, I didn't like myself and had a terrible self-image. Besides being tall and skinny, I had dark curly hair (which I totally hated), two fangs sticking out of the front of my mouth, and a huge honkin' nose. I was totally self-conscious, and I guess that's why I hid behind my drums—because that was the only place I really felt comfortable. I thought I could get people to like me as "the drummer dude."
During the summer between seventh and eighth grade, showers were installed in our gym locker rooms. My friends and I weren't all that excited about the news when we heard, but I guess the teachers thought showers would help with the "air pollution" in the classrooms. The big day finally came during the first week of school when my buddies and I would have to take our first public shower. Yikes! I could hardly sleep the night before. Mom couldn't figure out why I hardly touched my breakfast, but my stomach was in knots. I was worried about what my buddies would say once they saw me without my baggy clothes on.
Everything went fine during gym class. We were used to changing into our gym shorts and shirts. And most of us just wore the same shoes and socks all day long—it was too much of a hassle to bring extras to school. Plus, none of us changed our underwear for gym class. Talk about "air pollution"—gross! But today would be different. Coach said that from now on, we had to take showers at the end of class. He even said we had to use soap!
Gabi says: Ew! 'Bout time you used soap!
We kept stalling when it was time to hit the showers. "Couldn't we just shoot a few more hoops?" we asked our coach. He finally blew his whistle and said, "Gentlemen, put the balls in the equipment room on your way in and hit the showers." Now it was my turn to stall some more. I was the last one standing at my locker. I was trying to figure a way out of this new experience. I heard the showers click on and my buddies say, "Come on in, Russo—you big wimp. This isn't so bad." I couldn't keep stalling any longer. So I shut my locker and headed toward the showers.
I turned the water on and stepped in. Hey, this isn't so bad after all, I thought. I started to soap up. Then it happened. At first it was over on my right side. Then I heard it on my left. Pretty soon the entire shower room erupted into laughter as I heard my buddies say, "Hey, look at Russo—he's taking a shower with his socks on!" I had been so afraid that someone was going to laugh at me that I forgot to take off my socks! Not only did my buddies tease me the rest of the day, but I had to wear wet socks because I hadn't brought another pair to school with me. My new experience in taking showers at school didn't start off very well. And it's definitely gotta be one of my most embarrassing moments!
Gabi says: That's hilarious!
You've probably never had a shower experience like that. But even when you don't feel like you're being forced to do something new, stepping out of your comfort zone can be risky. Maybe for you it was learning to ride a skateboard or learning to swim. How many times did you fall off your board before you started having fun riding down the street? Or how much water did you swallow before you felt comfortable swimming in a pool or a lake?
Just like Troy and Gabriella experienced doing something new like karaoke at the party, most of the time, once you get the hang of the "new thing" you've tried—you like it! But some new things can be more risky than others—especially when it comes to hangin' with friends and being in relationships.
No one wants to fail in that area of life. Let's face it—we all want to fit in and be accepted. No one wants to be rejected and hurt. But unfortunately, relationships can be risky business. And if we don't figure out how to develop healthy friendships early, it only gets worse as we get older. There are lots of other areas in life that also require us to be risk-takers.
A risk-taker is a person who's not afraid of failure. They're willing to take chances in order to learn new things. Sometimes being a risk-taker can be dangerous—depending on what new thing you're trying to do.
Now, before you run off and decide to try cliff-diving without anyone watching out for you, or riding your skateboard on the center divider of the closest major highway, STOP and THINK. Consider the consequences of the risk you're about to take. Imagine there's a yellow caution light in the front of your brain—just like the ones you see on stoplights. When drivers see the yellow light, they know it's a warning that the light is about to turn red, and they need to be careful and slow down. Let this imaginary yellow caution light in the front of your mind remind you to slow down and think before you act. Before you decide to try something new—take a risk—ask yourself, If I do this, is there a danger to me physically? To someone else? Will taking this risk have a long-term effect on my life? Is now the right time for me to try something new? Would my parents approve of what I'm about to do?
Being a risk-taker doesn't mean you have to put yourself in a dangerous or negative situation. But most risk-taking can be positive because it's helpful in discovering your true identity—who you really are. Trying new things can open up all kinds of fun experiences in your life. There's always the risk of failure or, at the very least, finding out you don't like something. But it's worth the risk. Just think about what you might be missing if you don't try something new.
Take food, for example. I've traveled to a lot of countries around the world. I've tasted some amazing food and some food that was pretty disgusting, too. But I made up my mind a long time ago that I will try something at least once—that is, as long as it doesn't smell really disgusting or look totally bizarre. I'm glad I made this decision because I would have missed out on tasting some incredible food!
Gabi says: If you really want to try something new or different, you should go for it. Don't worry about what others think or say about you.
Think about all the cool stuff we have to eat. Have you ever wondered where some of these things came from? Think about chocolate. I love chocolate—especially the dark stuff—in all shapes, sizes, and forms. Everything from candy bars to chocolate drinks to ice cream.
Did you know that the chocolate we eat is the product of a long and delicate process that starts with the cacao tree? It grows in humid, tropical regions of the world. The cacao often grows in the shade of other trees, like the banana tree. The fruit of the cacao tree is a big pod with little beans inside it that grows right on the tree trunk.These beans are where we get chocolate from.
Gabi says: Chocolate is the best! Whenever you feel sad, just eat a bar of chocolate—it will make you feel better.
I've always wondered who the first person was to taste a cacao bean. Was someone just out walking around one day, saw one of these big pods, cracked it open, and decided to munch on one? And how did the beans eventually make it from the pod to the candy we now enjoy? Trust me—it wasn't Willy Wonka! It took a bunch of people trying something new over and over again until it finally became edible—and enjoyable. I'm sure glad they weren't afraid to take risks to try something new. I can't imagine a world without chocolate!
Gabi says: I'm glad someone took the risk to make chocolate! Without chocolate, we wouldn't survive!
Think about all the great inventors throughout history. Some of them failed hundreds—even thousands—of times before they were succesful with their invention. For example, take the Wright brothers. Orville and Wilbur Wright were born in Ohio and grew up in a large family. They both became engineers and eventually started the Wright Cycle Company. While bicycles paid the bills, they were much more consumed with the idea of designing and constructing a heavier-thanair craft that would fly under its own power and under their control—an airplane as we know it today.
Orville and Wilbur began to experiment with kites, gliders, and other flying machines. Finally, on December 17, 1903, with Orville at the controls and Wilbur running alongside, they had the first manned, powered, and controlled flight in history in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They had to step out of their comfort zone, take a chance, and not worry about what other people thought. Am I ever glad they didn't give up on developing the first airplane! If it weren't for the Wright brothers, we'd be a lot less likely to explore places outside of our home state!
We take for granted a lot of the things that make life enjoyable, and we forget that someone had to try something new to start with.Think about life without electricity, refrigerators, computers, movies, cell phones, cold medicine—we have all this and much more because someone was willing to take a chance.
How about you? What are you missing out on in your life because you're afraid of taking a chance and trying something new? You might be surprised if you thought about it.
Gabi says: If you really try to make an effort for something, you will succeed.
Are you afraid of trying new things?
Don't worry—you're not the only one who's ever been afraid to fail or be rejected. I don't like to admit it, but ever since my "shower experience," I still sometimes deal with the fear factor of trying new things. But I've also realized that there are lots of cool things in life to experience—from eating different kinds of food to making new friends—that I don't want to miss out on.
We shouldn't hold ourselves back from trying new things or meeting new people because of what others might think or because of our own self-doubts. We need to have confidence to take a chance. It means believing in yourself and your abilities. But where does this kind of faith come from? Let's check out some wise advice from a book that's been read by more people than any other in history—the Bible.
In Hebrews 11 there's a list of men and women who accomplished some incredible things. They took chances, stepped out of their comfort zones, and tried new things. In the process of taking risks, they impacted lots of other people and, in some cases, entire nations. How? By faith. It's faith that can give you the confidence to try something new. Hebrews 11:1 says this:
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
Do you remember when you were real small and Christmas was just a few days away? You were eager and excited. You knew for sure you would get presents. But you also knew there would be some special surprises. Christmas is a lot like faith—it combines assurance and anticipation. But this kind of confidence is based on your past experience with God.
If we want to have confidence that helps us take risks and try new things, we have to trust God and believe in His promises to help us. Here's a verse that applies to what we've been talking about:
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
God doesn't make us superheroes and give us superhuman strength to do anything we can imagine, but He does give us the power to face the tough situations that can happen in life.
What's something new that you've been afraid of trying? Making new friends? Learning to play a sport or a musical instrument? Singing or acting? Wearing your hair a different way? Cooking?
Try something really new and ask God to help you. Don't be afraid of failing. Remember, anything can happen when you take a chance—especially when you have faith in God.
Gabi says: At first playing my clarinet was really hard, but once I got into it, I started liking it. My band teacher helps make playing the clarinet fun. Remember, when you start to do something and it's hard, never give up.
If you're like other people your age, there are lots of possibilities in your life if you just look around. But you have to start somewhere, and usually it's easier to start with something simple before you move on to the big stuff.
This next week try some new things like:
It's a lot easier to try something new that's small than to try to accomplish some huge deal right away. But once you've accomplished some of the small stuff, it's time to move on to something bigger. How about trying out for a part in the school drama production? Or what about a position on a sports team at school? How about joining a club at school or learning how to play an instrument? Maybe you can talk with one of the leaders in your youth group and find out if there's a ministry at church where you could help out, like working with the children's ministry.
Think about the future. What dream do you have for your life? What can you do right now to start pursuing it? Don't forget the power you have available through Jesus. Without His help you won't be able to graduate to the bigger stuff.
As you learn to become a risk-taker, remember to let go and trust God. Trusting God is not a crutch; it's childlike confidence we put in Him. It's being willing to believe that God is able to do what He promises.
Is it hard for you to trust God? Why? What areas of your life do you need to trust God with? Slowly read the following verse and think about how it applies to you:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6
We must learn to trust God completely in every choice we make—believing that He knows what's best for us. And we must be willing to listen to and be guided by what's in God's Word.
Excerpted from:
Wildcats in the House: Spiritual Stuff You Can Get from High School Musical by Steve Russo and Gabi Russo
Copyright © 2007; ISBN 9780764204562
Published by Bethany House Publishers
Used by permission. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.