Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: Graduation (08/30/04)
TITLE: Free Indeed! By Lynda Lee Schab 09/01/04 |
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"Check."
"Gown."
"Duh, I'm wearing it."
"Smile…"
Hesitation. "Check."
"Desire."
Silence
"I repeat: desire."
Silence.
"Kat, come on. What's your problem?"
"Sorry - I just can't say I have desire when I don't."
"Why on earth wouldn't you have the desire to graduate?"
"Because it's scary! Because I just want to stay wrapped up in my little cocoon, safe and sound for a little while longer. In case you haven't noticed, Harry, it's a great big world out there."
"Really. I hadn't noticed."
"Well, you should pay more attention. There are huge, gigantic bees buzzing around out there, ready to swallow me up, or worse yet, point those stingers in my direction and inflict torture!"
"Oh, please. Bees mind their own business. Just stay away from the flowers."
"And what about those relentless little people? They'll chase after me with a net and put me in a jar with, like, two tiny holes in the lid. That is totally not enough air. I'll last a day at the most before I suffocate!"
"Believe me, you have nothing to worry about. Think of it this way - if you don't graduate, you'll never turn into the beautiful butterfly God created you to be! You'll remain a fat, hairy, leggy blob of brownish-green forever, stuck pacing tree branches. Is that the life you want?"
Kat pouted.
"Come on, Kat. You mean to tell me that you want to stay a boring old caterpillar for the rest of your life? Well not me. I'm outta here!"
"I'm comfortable being a caterpillar, Harry. I don't know how to be a butterfly. I mean, it's not like I've ever flown before. What if I drop like lead to the ground and I never learn how to fly? All those spiders might eat me up. And the centipedes! Anything with more legs than I have totally freaks me out!"
"Flying will come naturally. You'll see."
"Oh yeah, that's another thing. Butterflies are blind, Harry! BLIND! How do you expect me to stay away from the flowers and know where I'm going if I can't see? I'll be smacking into trees and houses and flying beetles…ew!"
"Kat. Relax. It's natural to be nervous. Now let's get rolling - we're going to be late."
* *
"Kat, come on. - it's your turn. Get moving."
"You don't have to push, Harry. I'm going, I'm going…"
Kat cringed as her fat, squishy body broke free from the cocoon and was transformed into a beautiful butterfly. Instinctively, she spread her wings and began to fly.
"Whee-------Harry! I'm flying - can you believe it? This is awesome!"
Kat didn't need to see to know where she was going. She felt the breeze, smelled the fresh flowers, heard the bees buzzing in the distance. She felt invigorated! Why had she been so afraid? Fear had almost kept her from graduating! If she hadn't graduated, she wouldn't be able to experience all of this! Kat fluttered around for hours, enjoying her newly discovered purpose.
* *
How often does fear keep us from experiencing the beauty God has in store for us? Graduating is so much more than leaving something behind. It is emerging into a whole new adventure that will ultimately lead us to our destiny, conceived by God even before we were wrapped up in our womb-cocoons.
It's up to us to replace that fear with faith. Only then will we be able to break free into the world and fly.
Lynda Schab
Copyright 2004