He dreamed of spending his life doing what he felt he'd been born to do. But he'd been horribly bullied when young. Seven bully-inflicted scars still hid under his hairline. The terror of those years had stolen his confidence. So when gap-toothed, overweight contestant #31829 took his turn in the footlights at Britain's Got Talent in 2007, it was remarkable he'd showed up at all.
He stood awkwardly on stage, his hands drooping at his side. When the judges asked him exactly what he was there to do, the 36 year-old fellow with too many chins answered, "to sing opera."
The judges cringed and exchanged glances, barely restraining their smirks. The man in the funny little suit watched the reaction, looking almost ready to cry. "Go ahead," they said.
As a youngster, he took up music in school. It became his solace, allowing him to escape the bullying during lunch hours for practice in the music room. Along the way, he fell in love with opera, grabbing every musical opportunity he could. Later he took extra jobs to earn enough to travel to Italy for a group class with Italian tenor, Pavarotti. The singer picked him out as someone to take note of.
Then came cancer, an accident, and a series of health crises. Medical debts piled high. Paying them down obliterated his hopes of a life in opera. His lack of confidence didn't help.
The contestant from South Wales had moved past his traumatic past and gotten on with life. He'd become a cell-phone salesman, married and served his community as a civil leader. And he'd all but given up his dream. He'd entered the competition on a whim, despite feeling sure his voice was far off the mark of what the judges were looking for. "I was terrified," he admitted.
The man opened his mouth to sing, and the first strains of a classic Pucccini aria emerged. A voice judge Simon Cowell later described as "magical" soared through the theatre. People forgot the funny suit, the extra pounds and chins, the gap in the teeth. Attendees wept in their seats. Other stood instantly, in praise of an undeniable God-given gift.
The competition could have closed in that instant.
Paul Potts lives his dream now. Since winning Britain's Got Talent in 2007, he has sung for the queen and performed hundreds of solo concerts in great halls around the world. He's made several full length albums, and been interviewed hundreds of time. His humility shines through his incomparable performances, and they still bring people to tears.
"What would you say to your bullies now?" one interviewer asked. With remarkable grace, Paul responded, "In some ways, the bullying probably made me the person I am. So, in some ways, thank you."
Diamonds are made from lumps of coal. Pearls begin as irritations. Got tough stuff in your life? Whether or not it seems possible, God can bring good from it. Trust him for the jewel.
