My daughter requested we listen to “Defying Gravity” from the Wicked soundtrack in the car the other day. Who doesn’t love a good challenge to try and match Elphaba’s mind-blowing run at the very end?! So I said sure – for the hundredth time…that week. 

Though I’ve listened to these same lyrics way too many times, something shifted in the way I perceived the cry of Elphaba’s heart in that particular moment in the car. For the first time, I heard her words through a spiritual filter…and now I can’t “unhear” it. 

This captivating moment held so much more than just Broadway magic — it was a bold declaration of new-found identity and freedom. Elphaba encountered a power that went far beyond anything she could have ever imagined, and she walked away from that moment forever changed. With a song in her heart and fire in her bones, she refused to return to “business as usual” and acquiesce to the pressures of societal norms.

Similarly, after we’ve had a life-changing encounter with Jesus, we can’t help but see the world around us in an entirely different light. Because of the Holy Spirit, we, too, walk away forever changed…and, naturally, so much about the way we “do life” changes, too. But sometimes the transformation of our heart and perspective can feel threatening or uncomfortable for the outside world.

After Elphaba’s grand proclamation, Glinda responds later in the song with protective skepticism: “Can’t I make you understand you’re having delusions of grandeur?” As much as she loved Elphaba and wanted nothing short of the very best for her, Glinda’s limited mind couldn’t fathom a world in which the way of life Elphaba was describing could exist. It would defy everything they had ever known. And it would leave her behind.

We can sometimes face similar challenges when those who are close to us haven’t yet “tasted and seen” the immense love of God for themselves. From the outside looking in, our newfound identity and purpose could appear nonsensical, over-the-top, or even radical. They may try to “talk sense” into us or use worldly examples of why we need to return to “reality”…but just as Elphaba held tight to her convictions, we, too, need to have the courage to stand firm and boldly declare that it is our JOY to defy the ways of the world in exchange for the ways of Christ.