Thursday, August 22, 2013

Grow Up

     


  If you know me well, you may know that I am a fan of BBC. Robin Hood, Merlin, Sherlock, Doctor Who....okay, you all get it - I am a nerd. One of the reasons I became such a fan girl is because of my friends, Sarah and Emily who introduced me to Merlin. The rest sort of followed, but whatever - none of you need to know the entire history of my epic nerdiness. The reason I enjoy these fandoms we share is because of the life lessons we draw from them. Before you freak out, please know that I do not use tv shows to guide my every step. It's just sometimes in our nerdy discussions, we end up rabbit trailing onto some great spiritual truth from something that we have learned. Visit Sarah and you'll see what I mean.
    Ok - so here is what I have been thinking a lot about lately. Above you will see a beautiful lady named Marian. Actually her name is Lucy Griffiths, but let's not kill the moment. Marian is of course the infamous love of Robin Hood's life. Every telling of the legend is different, but BBC presents Marian as a head strong girl quite capable of taking care of herself. She had to because Robin left her alone while he went to fight in the Crusades. Upon his return, he was shocked to find that Marian's father had been overthrown as sheriff and an evil man had taken his place. Robin Hood stated that he would not tolerate this injustice. He gave up all that he had (another lesson for another day) to live as an outlaw in the woods, protecting the people from the corrupted Prince John and the evil sheriff.
    Robin Hood sounds like a great hero, and in fact I think he rather was. The problem was at times he would make rash decisions because things were not fair. He ended up in jams because he wanted his own way. Marian knew how the system worked after all her years spent in Nottingham without King Richard's protection. She knew they could not have their own way all the time. She had found her own way to help others by becoming the Night Watchman. 
  As the Night Watchman, Marian was able to help those in need without openly defying the powers that be. She protected herself and those she helped by keeping her true identity a secret. This way she could serve for a long time to come. There were times when she encouraged Robin to do the same for the complete protection of the people. To do this she would constantly tell him, "Grow up."
    Robin and Marian both had to make many tough decisions for England. It meant self sacrifice and giving up things they wanted. When Robin would discourage Marian from making these choices, she always gave the same reply, "Grow up."
     Friends, this is what I must do. "Grow up." I have decided that I too have been holding on too tight to what I decided is right rather than what I know is right. It is time that I give up my selfish dreams and do something that counts. It is time that I stop living for self, and completely and totally surrender myself to God. Honestly, this has been my desire in life, but in growing up, I realize there is yet more I must do. 
     All of the sudden I find myself pursuing goals I used to be afraid of pursuing. I am not yet ready to announce to the world wide web what all this may entail, but if you think about it, please pray. I am on the verge of making a big decision that could change my life forever. That probably sounds a lot more dramatic than it is. Really it is all in God's hands, and I seek His guidance. Let's just say I have a teaching degree and there's a great big wide world out there.
       "Grow up" - "Okay!"