Second the Best

One of my favourite children's books of all time was With You All The Way by Max Lucado. The story is about three knights who are chosen by the King for a competition. These nights are travel to the King's castle by way of the forest, and whoever makes it back first will have the princess as his bride. Now each of these knights are chosen because they are the best within their specific field of specialty. The first is the strongest of all the knights of the kingdom, the second is the swiftest, and the third, well he's the wisest.

When I first heard the story up to this point, I wasn't all that intrigued. I mean, what's so bad about traveling through a forest? But the story explains that the forest is home to the dreaded hopenots and their task is to make it through their territory alive. Each one is allowed to take with them one companion to travel with them, and the Prince explains that every day at dawn, midday, and dusk the King will play a tune on his flute which is twin to one the prince has. So they go out on their travels and one day the sentries see two men limping towards the castle from the forest. The King commands that a feast be prepared and then rushes the two men out of sight to only have the winning knight revealed at the feast. Some place bets that the strongest knight has returned, others are sure it's the swiftest, but it turns out to be the wisest. When asked how he made it through he explained that it was because he chose the right companion. He explained that the hopenots stole their horses and were fighting them at every opportunity. But the worst part was when the King played his flute because all the hopenots would imitate the sound. They would hear not one flute but thousands, and from all directions. The eager townspeople asked how on earth he made it through that. The knight reiterated that he chose the right companion, he chose the Prince. Since the Prince had the twin to the flute that the King had, they only were able to play the tune in the same manner. As they traveled the knight had the Prince play the tune until he had committed it to memory. And because of that he was able to pick out the sound of the King's flute above all the imitations.

I love that story and the direct implications it has for our lives. We, like the knights, are going to have a lot of distractions in this life. There will be many imitators trying their best to lead us off the path that will lead us back to our Heavenly King, but if we have the Prince as our companion we will be able to make it through safely. But despite this amazing message one thing always nagged at the back of my mind, what about the knights that came second? Did they not even qualify?

Now I should probably explain myself a little bit to help you understand that nagging question. Growing up I was a pretty well rounded kid. I excelled in the academics, I was extremely involved in sports, and I was good at all the arts. There really wasn't all that much that I wasn't good at. Now I don't say that to brag, just to help you understand. You see, even though I was good at all those things I never ended up being the best. I would play basket ball, but never made the MVP. I sang in would work so hard on my final project of the year, someone else would do it last minute and get a better grade than I. I'd get hundreds of compliments about the picture I submitted for a competition, but someone else's was chosen. It was great being good at all those things, but I would sometimes wish that I could just be the best at something. And so, because of this situation I was in the question haunted me, what about the knights that weren't quite the best?

Then I got in a car accident. As I've mentioned in one or two of my previous posts, I sustained a sever brain injury and my life changed, including the situation I was in. My brain injury was on the right side of my head, which, as you may know, has direct connections with artistic and more creative tendencies. As a result my talents in the arts went from great but not the best to okay. My injury also made it so I can't remember things as well as I used to so I have to work a lot harder to get marks that are lower than I've ever seen in my life. And as for the athletic abilities, they're still sort of there if I don't mind a migraine. Every time I physically exert myself now I end up with a splitting head ache. So now I don't really have to worry about being good but not the best.

Now I'm sure that a lot of you reading this are feeling really sorry for me right now, but that is not what I'm writing about. Sure there are times where the situation sucks, but that's only some of the time. As I reflect on these two different perspectives I've had there's so much that I've learned. Whether your best at something, second, or the thousandth best you really are still that, the best. Too often we fall into the trap of thinking that what we do and how well we do at it is what defines who we are, and some people who hire you for a job may agree with that perspective but I've learned that they're wrong. I'm no longer in the top ten when it comes to marks, nor am I any kind of competition when it comes to comparing art, and I rarely even play sports anymore. But despite those changes about what I do, I'm still the best at being me. I didn't change who I am in the truest sense despite those changes in what I do.

So, even though I may not make it as the strongest knight, or the swiftest, and I don't think I even make it on the scales for the wisest, when someone asks me what I'm really good at I still have an answer. I'm really good, in fact I'm the best at being me. And you're the best at being you! Remember that.

Courageous

Have you ever seen the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty? I remember seeing it once or twice when I was growing up, and I always thought that of all the Disney Princess movies that was actually a pretty good one. I mean, it's always been classified as "girl's movie", and I understand why, but there's also a strong case for placing it in the category of "boy's movies".

The entire story, in the movie, is portrayed to highlight the experience of Aurora, the princess. We are shown her birth, the gifts that three fairies bestow upon her, and the curse that is given to her by the antagonist of the story. We are then made privy to her life in the woods as the three fairies do their very best to ensure that the curse is unable to come to fruition. However, the fairies fail in their efforts and Aurora is placed in a deep sleep where she remains until she is saved by a prince whose kiss awakens her, breaking the spell. It's the classic love story which is really emphasized throughout the movie. But what if we take a look at this movie from another character's perspective?

I'm talking about the hero of this picture, Prince Phillip. When the story is looked at from his perspective this movie is definitely a "boy's movie". Here we have a beautiful girl who the Prince falls in love with. She is then placed under a malevolent spell and placed in a castle that is surrounded by deadly hedges and guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. To fully see the story for all it's worth, let's take the romance out of the picture. Here we have a man. His goal is to find his way through a dense, perilous tangle of hedges with thorns the size of his hands. He then has to find his way through a castle, that is eerily empty, in order for him to achieve this goal. And throughout these travels he needs to make sure that he doesn't get killed by a murderous, bloodthirsty, fire-breathing dragon! Talk about an engrossing plot! Then, to show just how amazing this Prince Phillip really is, he pulls it off without a backward glance. It's as if he assesses the situation, sees the danger, and then asks, is that all? He just heads right in there without any fears and comes out on top!

As a kid, I remember watching Sleeping Beauty, and I definitely remember seeing it as described from the second perspective! In my eyes Prince Phillip was the epitome of bravery, and courage. Back then I saw courage as being the absence of fear. It was the word to describe Prince Phillip's attitude when he looked at the deathly odds before him and calmly thought, is that all? To me that was what courage was, and I wanted to be exactly like him!

As I look back at this view of courage, I think I had it a little bit wrong. Now that I've grown up a bit, and seen a bit more than just Disney movies I've come to understand courage a little bit better. I recently bought the TV series Band of Brothers. Now there's courage! These men who were a part of Easy Company are, in my opinion, true examples of what courage really is. They too were up against impossible odds, but it wasn't just once but time and time again. They too had a goal, it was to have a peaceful home. There were hedges for them just like in the movie, like parachuting out of a plain while anti-aircraft weaponry was being shot at you from way too many directions. And just like Prince Phillip, they too had to face their dragon, but for them it was the German army. They looked at these deathly odds, they assessed their situation, and they were scared. They were so scared that some men's fears drove them insane and others viewed themselves as already being dead. Never did they ask if that was all? Never did they go forward without fear? No, they looked at the situation, recognized their fears, and they went on anyways!

In life things are going to frighten us, even to the point of overcoming us for a short time. That fear does not mean that we don't have courage, nor that we are any less brave than Prince Phillip was. It is what we do after we assess the situation and recognize our fears that determines what attributes we portray. In my mind true courage is going forward in the face of fear, even if that fear cannot be conquered, even if those fears will haunt you for the rest of your life. Courage is steadily going forward no matter what!

Commercialization

In the story A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Tiny Tim concludes with the statement, "God bless us, everyone!"

This little boy's plea for God to bless all people seems to be lost on society today. God is no longer remembered at this celebration of the birth of His Son. Christ is being taken out of CHRISTmas, and replaced by the commercialized aspect of gifts and Santa Claus.

Now, I'm not saying that Santa Claus should be removed from Christmas. I believe that he plays an important role in helping us to revel in the magic of the season. Neither am I saying that everyone everywhere should be Christian. I understand that people have different believes, and I respect them. But you don't see people taking Jehovah out of Chanukah, or Allah out of Ramadan. I don't think that anyone should take the religious aspect out of any holiday regardless of what religion is being celebrated!

I remember growing up and saying Merry Christmas to friends and teachers at school. I remember having to explain to one of my friends what Christmas was all about, but he had no problems with the celebration of such a holiday. As I grew older and entered High School I was told that we could no longer call the Christmas Assembly the Christmas Assembly. The name was too discriminatory, or so they said. But I never heard someone of a different nationality make the complaint! Regardless of where it came from we now had our Wassail Concert, signifying the celebration of Christmas without stating it for what it was. Here was an example of how Christ was being pushed to the wayside, even at the celebration of His birth.

As I look back at my experiences where commercialization has pushed religion to the backseat, I can't help but think that we should be doing something to allow religion to reenter the scene. Since Christmas just took place, that's really what is fresh in my mind. It's a celebration of His birth, and though gifts may be given, and Santa Claus may be coming, we can't forget why we are celebrating. I revised the words to the poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" to try and signify this,

'Twas the Week Christ Reentered Christmas

‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the town

Every person was shopping; they had gifts to be found.

At the mall each child anxiously waits for their turn

To sit upon Santa so that he might learn

All about the gifts that they wanted to receive:

Balls, trains, and other things, but one struggled to believe.

I looked on in wonderment as this little boy paused,

A kid not wanting a gift, now what was the cause?

So I bent down and asked, “What’s up little guy?”

And awaited my answer as he turned with a sigh.

“I can’t just ask him for what I’m wishing for.

You see,” said he, “I was taught that this season’s about a little bit more.

“I was told that though people like to put on a show,

Christmas is much more than bows, ribbons, or mistletoe.

My parents taught me that it’s really about a Man,

One who came down to earth, died, but lives again.

“It’s at this most festive time of the year,

That we can celebrate the birth of this Man, so dear.

His name is Jesus Christ, and he came down to earth

Where angels, to shepherds, heralded his birth.

“He was born of a virgin, Mary was her name,

Who had travelled to Bethlehem, a city of great fame.

It was here she had come, with her husband to be counted,

They had travelled from Galilee, on a donkey she had mounted.

“But despite this hard travel things were still okay,

And they were optimistic about the place they would stay.

But in finding a room at the Inn, they weren’t able,

So they were forced to lodge in a crude stable.

“It was here, long ago, that Jesus was born

Where He slept in a manger on the first Christmas morn.

Shepherds had come to see the birth of this King,

And Wise men came, three gifts they did bring.

“They honoured this Man, a true Son of God,

For what He would do they came, and His name they did laud.”

“And what did He do?” I asked, with a bit of sneer,

I doubted he knew, he didn’t look as old as 10 years,

Yet despite my doubt, the boy answered my query

And explained how this man had borne sin till He was weary.

“Then this Man among Men, the Son of God in the flesh,

Died on the cross so that one day I’d have my wish.

“You see mister,” he said without hesitation,

“That Man, Jesus Christ, died so I could overcome my frustration.

I told you I learned this from my dad and my mom,

Well that was before a desperate thief did come.

“He came to my house looking for jewels and cash

And because of a sound outside he did something rash.

He tried to leave in a hurry, and on the way out

He shot my parents dead, of that there was no doubt.

“And that’s my frustration, that they’re not here you see,

And my wish to be with them Santa just can’t give me.

It’s only through Christ that I can see my folks again,

And so it’s His birth I celebrate as we enter this season.

“It’s because of Christ that we celebrate Christmas,

And Santa just can’t compare, no matter what he does.

But I best be on my way, but thanks for that talk,

Have a Merry Christmas!” and with that, off he walked.

With a tear in my eye I turned back to look

At the children with Santa asking for a game or a book.

I wished that they understood what I had just been taught

That the reason for Christmas just couldn’t be bought.

I marveled that a boy who wasn’t yet ten,

Could understand and then teach to men,

A message that we should all really know,

That it’s for Christ we celebrate, even amidst all this snow.

Now let us follow his counsel to let Christ reenter Christmas for us.

And so, let's allow religion to again be a part of the celebrations we have so that we too might utter the plea for "God [to] bless us, everyone".