there was so much GOOD news this morning in the Scripture that i read... but it wasn’t the only good news that i received today. because last night, when i was so wasted and worn out and woeful and weary, maxx had come to me and told me that he figured out what monologue he was going to read to audition for the drama club at school. i didn’t even ask him what it was. but he told me that he had left a copy of the monologue on my desk...
and the next morning i saw these words....
from “lord of the rings”. samwise gamgee’s monologue.
I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo; the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end... because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
when we watched LOTR this summer together i had mentioned that my favorite character was samwise gamgee. that i thought he was truly the hero of the movie. in his own quiet way he was the ultimate in strength and loyalty. the monologue reminded me that i am holding on to Someone. to Promises that He has made to me. and that those Promises are all answered YES through Christ.
and then rosie hands me this poem that she has to memorize for her english class (and her english teacher was one of our college students. did you know that? and isn’t that GREAT?) so we worked on memorizing the first two lines...
Don’t Quit (author unknown)
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he'd stuck it out.
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are -
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
and the woot shirt of the day really topped it off with the theme of THERE IS NO ESCAPE. ha. i think i might be hearing some kind of message throughout this day... don’t quit. don’t give up. escape is not an option. press on. press into Him.
God was still sending love letters to me. through His Word mainly, but i guess in times of dealing with the village idiot He might also work through monologues and poetry and woot t-shirts. He is so versatile... He is so God.