Sunday, November 12, 2006

• I’ve been in a bit of a reminiscent mood lately. Looking back over the elections, my year, and my struggles. This year has been…well, amazing. And a huge growing experience for me.

   

  During all this reminiscing, a verse came to mind last night. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And, of a sudden, I remembered a time, oh, so long ago, when that verse had given me strength. A time I really hadn’t thought about for a long, long while.

   

  A time when things were so, so much simpler…

   

  I was nearly eight. Katie, my bestest, dearest friend who was 10 whole years old, Gracie, her sweet, fellow-book-loving sister, my little sister Sarah and I had all decided we were to perform a play for our parents. Consequently, using one of my storybooks, I crafted a play from one of my favorite stories that had just the right amount of characters for our rather small but illustrious troupe. Each of us had a copy of our lovely, handwritten script, over which I had slaved for a good many hours. Each script, naturally, was properly worn to speak of constant use and love when the day of our play finally arrived.

   

  We held the opening night performance in front of a vast and enthusiastic audience that consisted of Mr. and Mrs. H, Mom and Dad, my aunt and uncle, and my two older sisters. The Play House – a lovely outside building with an open front that my sister’s (ahem) friend Max* had built for us – served as a perfect stage. As Gracie and I peered around the corner of the Play House walls, watching our audience grow in size, we looked at each other nervously.

   

  I remember all this quite clearly and vividly. Gracie looked at me, eyes wide, and said “We still need to set the table for the first scene.”

   

  I was so, so terribly nervous. “Okay,” I said, following her up to the stage.

   

  My heart started beating harder and harder as we set out our play teacups and plates, which bounty Sarah had recently received for her 7^th birthday. As we were setting these out, I remember – even to the tone of voice she used – Gracie reciting I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. She said it about twice, when I took it up with her. Katie joined in. Then Sarah. And within minutes, we were smiling peacefully at each other. No matter what the daunting task that lay ahead of us might entail, no matter how hard our many, many lines for the play were, we would be fine. Because we could do all things through Christ who strengthened us.

   

  The grand opening night of our performance was an instantaneous hit with our adoring audience. Though Betty (Gracie clad in a lovely pink dress-up gown) did slip and fall when Mother-Dear (an obligingly taller, and therefore Motherly-looking Kate) called her to the kitchen, the audience cheered. Though while said Mother Darling gravely told the Betty and Alice (a pretty little Sarah in pig-tails and a prairie dress) their responsibilities in her absence, the cat that Mother held on her lap began to demurely sip the “tea” from her cup, our fans called “Bravo!” And when the Narr-a-tor, barefooted little Emily Anna in blue, delivered the last, climactic line – “For a trust, when broken, is not easily put back together!” – the audience went wild with enthusiasm.

   

  It was a night to be remembered. A night of splendor and color and lights and beauty.

   

  I hadn’t thought of it until just recently.

   

  Today, I don’t face those sorts of problems. Today, my life isn’t even close to being that simple. But the same peace can be given to me. The same feeling of triumph, the same knowledge of Who is on my side can still be mine. With the faith of a child I surmounted obstacles that do not seem like mountains to me today. And yet today, with the faith of a child, I can look up to much, much higher peaks, and send them crashing into the sea. Because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

   

  *Max is currently my brother-in-law of 5 ½ years.

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