tower of courage

No, I don't have the dates wrong. I know that halloween was actually yesterday. But yesterday, I only had enough time to start and not to finish, so... please pretend that it's halloween and it's beautiful out and whatever else makes you feel like you are reading this yesterday.

Today was halloween. It was also a lovely day. A fine combination. Made me want to curl up in a chair and nap. Not what you expected, I'm sure. But hey, I was tired!

Joyce came over this afternoon. She and Evie made a barn out of wooden blocks on the living room floor and filled it with farm animals. They were enjoying the day together before it was time to "trick-ter-treat" (as said by Evie). They were happy. I was happy. Supper was happily bubbling away on the stove. Andy was happily cleaning up leaves in the yard. My hair looked good. My sister got the package that I had mailed to her. There was happiness all around.

All of a sudden, there came a different sound from the living room. Joyce telling Evie to "stop it!"

Typically, I try to let them figure things out for themselves. But, trying to keep the "happy" up in our house, I stepped in to take a look. There was Evie, taking the blocks from their farm-ation and making a tall tower.

"What's wrong," I asked Joyce. "Evie is making a tower with the blocks," she said, " and it might fall down!"  I assured her that a falling block tower would not pose a threat to either of them and she agreed, relieved that they faced no danger in this new game.

As I headed back into the kitchen the wheels of my mind began to turn, thinking about the story that I had just witnessed and the relevance it had on real life. How many of us sit back in fear afraid to "stack a few blocks" because they "might fall down"?

What would life look like if you took a few blocks and started a tower? What if the tower didn't fall down? What if the tower did fall down? What if you felt free and empowered and full of PEACE? What if God is calling you to step out and do something that you are telling yourself is too scary to try? What if...good things came of pressing into fear?

I love to watch people who dream of big towers. They aren't paralyzed at the mere thought of falling blocks. Courage rises out of a pile of rubble and pushes them to dream of a higher, fancier tower.

A tower of courage begins with one single block.


"Strength and dignity are her clothing, she smiles at the future." Proberbs 31:25