There’s a thought that sometimes comes to mind when I’m in a “woe is me” sort of mood, usually when I’m feeling sorry for myself and engaging in unnecessary mopeyness. The thought is this: When I’m gone will anyone even notice? Of all the things I do there’s nothing so important in my life that I can’t be easily replaced. People will be able to go on fine without me. Sure they might be sad, but they’ll go on.

Of course thoughts like that are usually extreme and not very rational, eventually they’re discarded and forgotten for a time. This time however, I had to give pause to that thought. Hold on just one second, I thought, how is that thought in any way beneficial or scriptural?

First off, it’s incredibly self-centered, it isn’t right wanting to matter so much that people are incapacitated by your absence. Instead, I think we should be helping people so much that, rather than having to depend on us completely to get by, they will be able to continue on after we have been long gone, due in part to the aid we have offered. Also, the thought just isn’t realistic. Even if the most important human in the world died suddenly, those relying on him/her would still find a way to move on. It’s human nature, we’re built to be to adapt and continue functioning in spite of loss. Otherwise, we’d lose one significant person in our lives and be doomed. Life must go on. The sun continues to rise each day and the wind keeps sweeping its way across the globe with or without you (sorry Bono). The world doesn’t revolve around us and we shouldn’t want it to.

Obviously, there are special circumstances, but I think we can get in a dangerous place when we rely on a person or certain people so much that, were they to leave, we’d find ourselves crippled, stuck in an ongoing stasis from which we cannot escape. Our dependence should be in God. People come and go, like trains in a station. Why put all our stock in something that isn’t going to be around forever when instead we can invest in the eternal. Not that we shouldn’t invest in people or that we shouldn’t be deeply grieved when the presence of someone close to us is either significantly or completely removed from our lives. It’s hard to watch someone go whom we care about. Yet I think there is a beauty in letting go and an art in being able to move on, knowing that while people will be sad at your departure, there will be a great blessing rather than devastation in your absence .

So, if you ever find yourself having such thoughts, cast them out, for they’re founded on lies and misconceptions and are alltogether unhelpful in the evergoing battle we wage in our minds.

So, I had another writing assignment. I don’t think anyone else really finished theirs, but I figured I’d post mine up anyhow rather than letting the time spent writing it go to waste. It’s no literary masterpiece, but hopefully you can glean something useful from it

This was this prompt:

In our spiritual lives where does God end and we begin or vice versa? Feel free to explore the subject in any way you see fit. There is one catch… It needs to be written as if your audience were an 8 year old child. This could be an essay, narrative, drama, or whatever.

And now for the story:

Many years ago a teacher packed up his few belongings and journeyed from a distant land to dwell in the small village of Karikayo. Over time, this teacher became well respected and there were few villagers who did not hold him in high esteem. As word of his knowledge began to spread, even the residents of nearby villages would come to seek the aged man’s advice. He became known as Taldir the Wise and the people of Karikayo set up guards around him for his protection. They even offered to schedule his appointments for him, since he had began to attract daily crowds of visitors seeking council. This last offer he kindly refused. He had also requested that the guards be removed, since they were unnecessary. But, out of their love for him, the villagers refused to leave their sage defenseless. So he allowed the guards, provided they did not interfere with his work.

One day a brash young man attempted to make a rush past the guards towards Taldir, who had that day chosen to seat himself by the village well. The guards, undeterred, caught the man, but before they could drag him away, Taldir ordered that he be released. “I shall refuse no one who earnestly comes before me, be they young or old, wise or foolish. How shall those who do not know ever learn unless they sit in the presence of those who do know,” Taldir stated. The guards obediently let him go and the man, slowly this time but still with a boldness to his stride, approached Taldir until he was standing directly in front of the teacher, who remained calmly seated cross-legged. “Please, sit. It is more difficult to learn while standing and few things but air pass through proud ears.” With a little assistance from a guard, the young man was seated.
Again, Taldir spoke, “Now tell me what matter is of such urgency that you find it necessary to  come before me in this manner, taunting these faithful guards and throwing away caution as if it was no longer fashionable?”

A hush fell over nearby observers as the young man began to speak, “I have a question that only a wise man can answer and, hearing from many that you are wise, I traveled a great distance to meet with you. Tell me this: if God is all-powerful, as many claim that he is, then why does he require us to do anything for Him?  Surely the things he asks us to do, he can do just as well, if not better on his own. And if God is better on his own then aren’t we, being creatures made in his image, also better left to the works of our own hands, so that each deals with their own affairs as is fitting?”

Some gasped or made scolding noises at the sheer brashness of the question while others, considering it to be a fair question, looked expectantly towards the teacher. Taldir smiled warmly and brought his hands together, folding his fingers across one another. He drew in a deep breath and all who were nearby leaned in closer to hear his reply.

“There lived a small girl who, one day, decided that she wanted to grow a garden. Having seen her mom gardening before, the girl guessed that she knew enough to try it out on her own. So the girl dug a hole in the ground, dropped a small pebble in the hole, buried it and then poured water over it. Then she stood nearby to see what would grow up from the ground. To her disappointment nothing happened, even after waiting for what felt like a very long time. She began to cry and her mother, who had been watching from a distance, came to comfort her. ‘Just give it a little time’ she told her daughter, and then she picked her up and took the little girl inside. When the child had fallen asleep, the mother went back outside and dug up the hole. She then planted a seed where the pebble had been buried. The next day, the girl was very excited to discover a small leaf poking up from her little patch of dirt. She ran to tell her mom the good news and they both celebrated together. The mom then began to teach her daughter the proper methods to growing a garden. When that first plant became a flowering bush, the child plucked a few flowers from it and gave them to her mother. ‘I made this for you,’ the girl told her. Although it was just a small clump of partly wilted flowers, to the mom it might as well have been an extraordinary bouquet. She was so proud of her little girl that she swung her in the air and then covered her with hugs and kisses.”

When Taldir finished his story, many of the children and parents who had been listening smiled and clapped for him. But the young man just sat there, arms crossed, looking unimpressed. “You have not answered my question.” He said, disapproval in is voice, “Besides, once the daughter grew up, she would know how to manage a garden on her own, she wouldn’t need her mother’s help anymore.” Taldir sighed, “Perhaps. I think you should hear to this next story. Try to pay more attention this time.”
“Fine,” the young man said, “if it must be a story. But I expect this one to answer my questions. As you might have noticed, I am no longer a child and since I am an adult, stories are of little interest to me.”
“Grown up you may be, but it requires more than age and size to become an adult. Even the most mature scholar knows that there is much to be learned from the heart of a child. And what a sad day it will be when we no longer find wonder in the telling of a story. But enough, I see you grow impatient.” Taldir cleared his throat and made himself comfortable by resting his back against the stone well he had been sitting beside.

“There once was a lamb who decided to leave his pasture and go out exploring on his own. Early one evening, when he was sure no one was looking, the lamb crawled under a hole in the fence and ran off on his own. Soon he came to a river that was much too wide and deep for him to cross. The river was not a very large one, but the lamb was too small and weak to pass through it on his own. By that time it had become very dark and he was tired, so he decided to drink from the river and then get some sleep until the morning when he could hopefully find a narrow place in the river to cross over. Since it was the first time he’d ever been on his own, fear and excitement kept him awake for a little while, but eventually he was able to close his eyes and rest.
He awoke with surprise the next morning to see a fallen tree laying across the river. I’m glad I waited until daylight, I must have missed this in the dark, the lamb thought. Fortunately for the lamb, the little tree was just big enough for him to walk across it to the other side of the river. Later that day, the lamb was having a wonderful time by himself exploring the countryside when he stumbled into a glade where two wolves were laying down. They quickly noticed him and began slowly moving towards the frightened lamb with their backs crouched low to the ground, snarling hungrily with each step. The lamb was so terrified that he couldn’t move. He was sure he’d be eaten alive once the wolves reached him. Just as the wolves were getting close, they suddenly looked up and froze. Then they turned around and ran off. What luck, I must look tougher than I realized, the lamb thought to himself.
But that night he wasn’t feeling so tough. Instead, he was feeling alone, afraid, thirsty, and very cold. As he shivered in the dark, wondering if he would be able to sleep at all that night, he felt something warm around his body. This is very strange, I must be growing out my wool coat very quickly, the lamb reasoned. The warmth comforted him and he was finally able to sleep. However, when he awoke he began feeling very lost and he realized how much he missed his flock and their shepherd. I never should have left them, this was a big mistake, he thought. Then he sat on the damp ground, bleating and feeling very sorry for himself when out from behind a tree stepped his shepherd. The shepherd picked up the lamb spoke to it in his rich, comforting voice, “Do not be afraid my little lamb, I have been with you all along. I was the one who made that log bridge for you, I scared away the wolves who were going to attack you, and I covered you with my cloak when you were cold last night. And now I will take you home.” True to his word, the shepherd carried the lamb safely home and the little lamb was happy once again.”

A look of disappointment crossed the young man’s face, “I come to you in search of great wisdom and all you give me is children’s stories,” he said with disdain in in voice. Taldir shook his head, “if you cannot understand that which is clear to a child, how will the weightier things be of any use to you.?” the aged teacher asked. The young man stood up and brushed himself off, “I am leaving now, it is obvious to me that you will not be of any help, for you have neither answered my questions nor revealed anything that would pass as wisdom.” And with that he turned and left.
As the onlookers turned to watch the young man exit, Taldir spoke, “This man did not come to listen and learn, but to impress others and assure himself of his own intelligence. Yet, there is still hope for him. As a youth, I was also very proud and arrogant. It took some very difficult lessons before I learned to be otherwise. As he ages, it may be that sense will come to him and reason will teach him to consider again the stories that he has heard and the wisdom hidden in them.” Taldir sighed and considered for a moment the days of his youth. Then he straightened up stretched his old neck this way and that, and said, “Now, both young and old and all who would care to listen, gather around for I have many more stories to tell and many lessons to teach and in them you will find wisdom, if only you will allow your ears to hear and your minds to accept it.” And so they did.