Hamilton: 5 Life Lessons from Hamilton the Musical

Hamilton is all the rage in theaters across the country. If you are not familiar with the musical, it’s about founding father, Alexander Hamilton. In honor of Constitution Day, September 17th, I am going to share a few words of wisdom from Hamilton, the muscical. It’s a good show although it has a bit of offensive language (approximately five swear words). That being said, I can say there are some excellent life lessons.

Here are the top five:

Lesson 1: Never Give Up! Hamilton’s story is one of significant loss. The story goes like this, “How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor grow up to be a hero and a scholar?” His father left, his mother died, and then a hurricane destroyed his home. He came to America eager to make a name for himself. He never gave up. He was often ridiculed, laughed at, and taunted, but he continued to go, non-stop. He did not let poverty or the other horrors he faced in life destroy his dreams or goals. The Word commands and compels us to stay the course (Isaiah 40:29-31, Psalm 46:1-3, Joshua 1:9).

Lesson 2: Be Satisfied! There is a song in Hamilton called, Satisfied. In this song, Angelica Schuyler said neither she or Hamilton will ever be satisfied. We see this throughout Hamilton’s career. He is always going after one thing or another. Hamilton consistently said, “There are a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait.”  It’s ok to be ambitious, but not to the point of putting everything on the line and walking contrary to God’s Word and His plan for your life. There comes a time when we have to stop and take a moment to be sure we are in Gods’ will. What does the Word have to say about satisfaction? Psalm 63:1-5 encourages us to be satisfied with what God gives us. Hebrews 13:5 and Philippians 4:10-13 admonish us to be content with what we have. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 brings complete clarity to the issue; “But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]. For we have brought nothing into the world, so [it is clear that] we cannot take anything out of it, either.”

Lesson 3: Take a Break! We, as people of God, need to learn to rest. God rested (Genesis 2:2-3), and His desire for us is the same. If Hamilton had listened to his wife and his sister-in-law when they told him to take a break, he might never have made the mistake which ultimately ruined his marriage and sullied his reputation. We need to take a break occasionally. Hamilton, instead of going away for the summer stayed in town and ran into Miss Maria Reynolds. She changed the course of his life, and not for the better. This song reminds me of the story of King David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1-5). King David stayed behind when his men went off to war. It was because of this that David was on his rooftop when he saw Bathsheba bathing, and he decided he had to have her. Like Hamilton, King David did not know how to say “No” to this temptation. But God always gives us a way out. 1 Corinthians 10:13 states, “…and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well,..”. Take a break and read the Word.

Lesson 4: It’s ok to say NO! There are people with Type-A personalities. Hamilton would certainly fall into this group.  If you have a type-A personality, you are generally competitive, ambitious, impatient, focused on work, and a multitasker. Hamilton checked all these boxes. Type A’s have a hard time saying NO. My boss is a type-A and she will say yes to almost any job, committee, or function. I continually tell her that it is ok to say NO. Even in ministry, we need to be careful about saying yes. We can overcommit ourselves. Look at Jesus’s ministry. He only did what the Father told him to do (John 5:19). Hamilton’s mantra was, “I don’t know how to say NO to this.” He knew how he chose not to do so. Let this be a lesson, it’s ok to say NO.

Lesson 5: You and God are Always Enough. I love the song on the Hamilton album called “That Would Be Enough”. It reminds me of a prayer we recite during our Passover Seder call Dayenu. Check out my blog post on Dayenu for more information. This prayer tells of God’s faithfulness. After each proclamation in the prayer, we shout ‘Dayenu’ which means “it would have been enough” (sufficient). In the musical, Eliza, Hamilton’s wife, sings this song to him to let him know that he does not have to work so hard and be away from his family. She wants him close. One particular verse reminds me of God’s unending love for me.

The verse goes like this:

The Word tells us, if God is for us, no one can be against us (Romans 8:31). If we let Him inside of our heart, He will grant us peace of mind (John 14:27). If we let Him become part of the narrative of our lives we are reborn, a new creation, a first chapter. God says, that He and We are enough. Yes, that would be enough. DAYENU!

There are so many more lessons to be learned from Hamilton. Going non-stop, writing like you’re running out of time, not throwing away your shot, duels are dumb and immature, and so many more. Time does not allow me to write about them at the moment. Maybe later I will write them all down in a book. Hope you enjoyed this post. Please share and comment.