Friday, February 5, 2010

Just stay in the tower, Please


I had lunch with a sweet friend and her amazingly adorable baby yesterday (Side Note: I've seen a lot of cute babies in my life, but this one is definitely on the top of the list!)
Our discussion started to bounce around relationships, I made the statement "Girls, although they have a there own box of pressure and weight in relationships do in fact have the easier end of the deal." "What!?", exclaimed by sweet friend. "How so?" This is what followed....

A woman gets to sit back in here castle tower and wait. Wait for her knight in shining armor to come storm the castle and come get her. And you'll know when he comes because you you'll hear the clanging of swords and shields outside of your door. And so, you wait. You don't even have to unlock the door because he will donkey kick it down when he gets to it. And so, you wait. And at last when he comes marching through the door YOU get to say "yes" or you get to say "no". How great is that! ...But here is the problem. While waiting in your tower you start to think a couple things. One, this could be a long wait and two, what happens if he doesn't come? Well, Maybe I should unlock the door for him...or maybe I should crack open the door. Ya know better yet, I'll lower the drawbridge as well and go wait outside for him, because he might pass by and miss the castle. Ya know, come to think of it maybe I should go out into the woods and look for him because you know men, they tend to be bad with directions and he might be lost out there. So you leave the tower you leave the castle you go into the woods and get all of a sudden get swooped away by the troll living under the bridge. And then you sit back and say to the world, "why is it that all I get are the trolls?" "Is the whole world filled with trolls?" Meanwhile back at the ranch...or the castle in this example...the brave young knight has fought his way up the tower through flames and dragons only to find the you gone and being carried away in the arms of a troll.

Remedy: Just stay in the tower...wait. This doesn't mean do nothing or be nothing. Contrary, prepare yourself. Stay faithful. Trust. Believe.

Here's the second thought that goes through your mind..."What if he doesn't come?". or "What if he isn't who I thought he would be." What happens if Shrek comes marching through those doors. What if he isn't what I imagined. My question is this: Could he be better then what you imagined?

Is there a difference between want and need sometimes? You may want a six pack, flowing locks of golden hair and a huge bank account. But what comes is a dangerously skinny guy with strange facial hair and a few bucks in his back pocket...but, what is unseen is a truck load of love and faithfulness and hope and integrity and honor and protection and loyalty. Want and need. We might want to start wanting what were needing more.

And maybe you have ventured out of the castle and into the woods and got picked up by a troll and are lost and looking for your way home. How do you get back?
Let the Lord take you back and return you to your tower, restore you, love you, rebuild your heart and then help you wait..again. This time don't even unlock the door. When the time comes you'll know. Listen for the swords clanging and just stay in the tower, Please.







I know this is a fairytale example and life doesn't work out like a storybook and it may seem pretty extreme...but, doesn't it ring true somewhere deep down inside all of us. Doesn't this possibility sound better. Maybe not. Maybe I am just a dreamer, but I don't think I'm alone.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

This post is awesome. Sometimes us ladies have a hard time with patience. I know I have definitely jumped out of the tower window before and ran around the forest with a strobe light on my head yelling, "anyone else out here?!?" from time to time. You definitely hit the nail on the head though. All things happen in God's time. And His timeline might not match up perfectly with our own.

My friend Julie used to say to me, "look at the guys that you've picked for yourself...now imagine the kind of man that God would choose for you! Wait for God to send him to you." I know she's right. It is definitely hard to wait when we think we want something right now...and we do always get exactly what we wanted, and it's never what we really need. My experience has definitely taught me that I'd much rather hang out in the tower and paint or take pictures and wait for him to come kick the door down. I know he will be worth the wait. It's just having the faith and patience that he is eventually going to show up someday. I'm staying in the tower. Thanks for the reminder!

(oh, I found your blog through Peter's page...in case you were wondering.) :) - Lauren

Anonymous said...

This is simply amazing Jerrod. I have been through bad relationship after bad relationship, and just got out of a relationship I thought was going to last. I am devastated, and I feel as though my world has been flipped upside down.
After reading this, I am remaining hopeful. He is a wonderful man, but obviously he wasn't right for me. It is so hard for me to just give it up to God, and wait for him to send someone my way. I know it's what we;re supposed to do, but for someone who is impatient, it's so very hard.
Thank you for you words of encouragement. And even though I shed some tears while reading this, I wanted you to know, you have inspired me with your words. I feel empowered now, and for that, I thank you.