When God Writes the Dream: What the Lord Taught Me Through My Television Debut

Mackenzie Beenken
Mar 19
2 min read

I’ve been praying a lot about dreams lately.

The kind God plants quietly in our hearts long before we understand how they could ever come true.

For me, that dream has always been acting. And this week, a piece of that dream comes to life as my television debut airs on Will Trent.

I’m incredibly grateful… but the journey there looked very different than I imagined.

Here’s what God taught me through my television debut.

Mackenzie in a cozy argyle sweater, sitting on trailer steps, smiling thoughtfully. Background features a trailer with bright accents.

God Cares About Your Dream

Sometimes in Christian spaces we learn to be cautious about dreaming too big.

We worry ambition might look prideful.

We wonder if creative dreams are less spiritual than other callings.

But I’m learning something beautiful:

God is not intimidated by our dreams.

In fact, he often places them there.

If our dreams aren’t big enough to require God to show up in miraculous ways, they might be too small.

Booking Will Trent didn’t feel like achieving something alone… it felt like stepping into something God had been shaping long before I ever saw the outcome.

Dreams Find Momentum in the Waiting

Before this role, I completed dozens of auditions without hearing a yes. For Will Trent alone, I auditioned seven times.

The waiting was long.

The silence was real.

But every audition refined my craft and, more importantly, my character.

A mentor encouraged me to begin praying,

God, who do You want me to become while I wait?

The industry develops skill.

God develops the artist.

Sometimes the dream takes time because God is preparing the Dreamer.

There are No Small Parts

I auditioned for roles of every size on Will Trent: guest star, co-star, even the smallest co-star.

And I booked what might appear to be the smallest one.

But it sure wasn’t small to me!

Standing on set, surrounded by hundreds of artists working together to tell one story, I realized something deeply familiar to theatre educators:

There truly are no small parts.

Every role serves the story. Every artist contributes something meaningful.

Faithfulness in small moments is often God’s way of preparing us for larger opportunities we cannot yet see.

God Shows Up in Creative Spaces

One of the most meaningful moments of my day didn’t happen in front of the camera.

It happened in the hair trailer.

While getting ready for filming, I met the artist doing my hair, and we found ourselves talking about heaven, hope, and faith… right there on a network television set.

Even more surreal, another member of the Faith Based Student Musicals team, Bella Yantis, was also on set that day. In such a massive industry, it felt like a small reminder of how God connects His people in unexpected ways.