The Whipping Boy

As days pass to become weeks and weeks pass to become months, I become all the more aware that the time to graduate is rapidly approaching. Granted, I am not graduating until December of next year, but I have been here for one year thus far and it has flown by. So, I have no reason to think that the next year will be any different.

As I think of the coming years, I try to imagine what my life will look like and I see only a void. It is not something that I can predict. It is the first time, that I can remember, that my future has not been fairly clear. In fact, in trying to look past December of 2007, other than being able to tell you the "general" area that we will be in, I have no idea what to expect. I am terrified.

My wife is entertaining me by allowing me to read her a chapter every night of my favorite childhood book. I love this book! Reading it simply makes me feel good. Tonight we will complete this amazing text when we read the final chapter. The book is called The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. It is a story about Prince Brat and Jemmy-From-The-Streets, who is the Prince's whipping boy. You see, you cannot whip the Prince, so each time he gets in trouble the Whipping Boy gets whipped.

Last night we read the chapter in which Jemmy and Prince Brat were in the sewers, running from Hold-Your-Nose Billy and Cutwater. They are the bad-guys of the story...the highway men...the scoundrels...the ruffians...you get the drift.

While they are in the sewer Prince Brat is scarred. So scarred that he grabs hold of Jemmy's hand (a little background...shaking hands with the Prince was forbidden...no one shakes the Prince's hand). Instead of letting go, Jemmy allowed Prince Brat to hold on and he led Prince Brat through the sewers because Jemmy knew which tunnel to take.

As I read this portion of the book, I find myself relating to Prince Brat. As I stand in a place that consists of looking for direction and some sort of plan, I find myself scarred. Prince Brat knew exactly what he was doing. Jemmy-From-The-Streets used to make a living as a ratcatcher. He did this in the sewers. Jemmy was in his element and Prince Brat was not. The Prince knew this and grab ahold of the one who is in his element.

As I stand in the dark, searching for the right path (or tunnel), I find that the only thing that I can do is reach for the One who is in His element. I think that this is part of ministry. Having things planned and organized is not the objective. Sure, we can plan things and organize things in our ministries, but we can only do it if we are connected with Jesus. When we lose that grasp on Jesus, we may stray down the wrong path. In the book, the wrong path would cause you to be attacked by thousands of rats and be eaten alive. If we lose our grasp on Jesus and head down the wrong path........our consequences may be far worse.