"Pray so big and so often that when God meets you at Heaven's gate, He says, Kid, you kept me very busy." ~ Unknown
The year was 1977. I had just turned four years old. We were living in Germany at the time. Frankfurt to be precise. Back then going to a movie was a real treat. And not one you took for granted either. Disney had just released 'The Rescuers' and we were on our way to see it. After all back then going to the movies on post was a big deal. I remember being so excited reaching for the container full of popcorn in my dad's hands before leaning over to grab a sip of soda from my mom. My daddy, he was just as excited as I was. As the lights dimmed mama, held my hand, whispering in my ear, "Christie, it's about to start honey." I sat there seated right between my mama and daddy, smiling ear to ear just like a Cheshire cat as the opening credits began. I stayed awake for the whole 77 minutes as the Rescue Aide Society chose Bianca and nervous Bernard, a janitor with a big heart, to rescue Penny. This lost little girl's letter inside a bottle had been found by this organization headquartered in New York City run by mice, no less whose sole mission was to rescue abducted children around the world. Penny, a kind, brave, sweet, smart and innocent kidnapped orphan whose only real wish is to be adopted had been kidnapped from Morningstar Orphanage. As the story unfolds we learn she's now a captive inside Devil's Bayou in Louisiana. Poor Penny, she's being kept against her wishes inside an old abandoned river boat by a crazy, greedy, insane, impatient and cruel pawn shop keeper and treasure hungry woman named Medusa. Try saying that 3 times fast! I was team Penny all the way! In my little four year old mind I was off on this adventure too. I was right there along side Penny, Miss Bianca, Bernard, Orville, Ellie Mae, Luke and her swamp family and of course Evinrude as we searched for the Devil's Eye, the world's largest diamond. Medusa, Mr. Snoops her partner in crime and her devilish pet crocodiles Brutes and Nero had no chance against us. I was completely taken with Penny and her faith and courage. She possessed a brave, kind heart in spite of her very dire circumstances. Penny was a victim and yet she wasn't about to surrender her faith or courage to Medusa. Even as the water rose and the ocean tide began flooding the old Pirates cave where Medusa had lowered her down to inside of a bucket, Penny still keeps her faith. She was not alone as she held on to hope. As a child in July of 1977 the screen in front of me came alive with incredibly endearing characters as I'd never seen before. Honestly even now as an adult many of them have stayed with me.. The truth is, Penny along with Miss Bianca and even brave hearted, jittery Bernard taught me a big lesson about faith that night in July of 1977...pray, wait, believe and trust God.
In the bigger picture and in real life outside of this movie or even the books so well written by Margery Sharp, the real lesson I've always taken away from 'The Rescuers' is this: Our faith can absolutely move mountains, but if we're not careful, our doubt can create them too. C.S. Lewis really says it best in my humble opinion. "To trust God in the light is nothing, but trust Him in the dark ---that is faith." And it really is, is it not? I think of six year old little Penny here. She was lost, forgotten by most, abandoned and at times shattered by Medusa's ruthless and cold words. We've all been there. We know this pain and heartache, right? And yes, as so many villain types do out in the real world, Medusa uses Penny's loneliness and longing to be loved against her. In an attempt to shatter Penny's hope and looking to crush her spirit, Medusa uses her words to deliver a cold, harsh message.. one she feels will be a final blow to Penny's faith and courage. Medusa, thinking she's sealing Penny's fate, looks at her and asks, "Who would want a homely little girl like you?" Penny longs to be adopted, wanting nothing more than to find a home where she'll be loved. And being the sinister antagonist Medusa is she preys on this. Words hurt. They can crush us, destroy us if we're not careful. And this is what Medusa was attempting here with Penny. She saw her tears, the pain and hurt she was causing, even making note of them but still none of this mattered. The only thing Medusa was concerned with was her need and obsessive yearning. She wanted her way and nothing else mattered. No one would get in her way, especially one innocent, sad little girl. Medusa was driven by an impulsive greedy desire to have it all, fueled by complete selfishness, This catapulted her ultimately into an evil, sly and black-hearted plot . In her mind she'd get what she wanted. And by whatever means necessary she was going to obtain the Devil's Eye. J. Brown says it pretty darn perfect I think. "Words. So powerful. They can crush a heart, or heal it, They can shame a soul, or liberate it. They can shatter dreams, or energize them. They can obstruct connection, or invite it. They can create defenses, or melt them. We have to use words wisely." Medusa knew this, but so did Rufus the wise old cat who instilled hope inside Penny's heart while she was at Morningstar. He saw the light inside of Penny, encouraging her, "Listen to me, Darlin'. You're something extra special." He goes on to further uplift Penny with these worlds, "Keep the faith sweetheart." He knows she'll be adopted one day, truly loved for who she is. Rufus' is even willing to bet his own whiskers on this fact. Despite her insecurities Rufus works hard to inspire Penny. Truthfully he really motivates all of us to have faith when he recites this poem. "Faith is a bluebird we see from afar. It's for real and as sure as the first evening star you can't touch it, or buy it, or wrap it up tight BUT it's there just the same making things turn out right." The problem is Penny's fears get a tight hold of her a little too much. This leads her down a dark, stormy and steep road straight into the clutches of Medusa and Mr. Snoops.
How can we relate this particular story to our lives? How does a child's movie from the 1970's teach us anything about faith? That's easy. Just ask yourself how many times you've found yourself tiptoeing around faith in fear? See, the truth is "There isn't enough room in your mind for both worry and faith. You must decide which one will live there." (unknown) 1 Timothy 6:12 implores us to "Run your best in the race of faith." And much like the Rescue Aid Society's pledge we must do the same. "Through storm and rain and dark of night, never fail to do what's right." Despite our fears, worry and lack of comfort, we must keep the faith and we must choose to do what's right in spite of each and every monster at our door. The funny thing is when I went through my own stage of insecurity a bit later in life, I chose the name Penny. I know now it was because I saw something in Penny's character. I felt this same struggle within myself . Taking the name Penny was a way of reminding myself to have faith, taking up my courage and being brave in spite of my worry. No amount of magic or imagination was going to give me a brave heart. I had to believe both in myself and in the One who created me first. Faith and courage, these two amazing merits, well they give us the advantage over fear and an ability to be brave, doing what's right, even when we're scared and treading on shaky ground. Truthfully, I've felt like Penny many times through the years. Diabetes, breast cancer, stroke, betrayal, rejection and loss have all played a part in my life. None of it is fair let's be honest. But we all have our battles, insecurities and Medusa's to face. The truth in my life has been found in these very words by a wise and unknown author, "I asked God, why are you taking me through troubled water? He replied, Because your enemies can't swim."
Like Penny in the face of despair and defeat, feeling dejected and downhearted, even demoralized she kept her hopes alive by putting her faith into action...through prayer. The lesson here is a simple one really. Faith won't be moved. It's unshakable, waiting on us just inside His truth always giving us the courage and strength to be completely relentless in the pursuit of our dreams. See faith is a biggie, isn't it? I mean without it we're pretty much overtaken by fear and doubt. The truth is faith takes courage. And to have both faith and courage we have to be brave. If we have the courage to believe our faith will inspire our hearts to become brave and take that first step. You see with faith we can run...we can fly. Faith not only makes us strong, it makes us mighty, even if we're small. But the thing is this, we have to be willing to be vulnerable in order to find our courage. And that's pretty terrifying sometimes, isn't it? It was for Penny. I'd be pretty scared too if I was being lowered into a dark cave. How about the times Brutus and Nero were chasing Penny around the riverboat or when Medusa steals her teddy bear. Still, as terrifying as it was Penny chooses hope over Medusa's cruel words. Penny instead took heart praying her letter in a bottle would be found. Her answer came in when hope arrived in the form of two small mice just in the nick of time. This is faith. Just as the soundtrack moves us watching Penny wipe away her tears, these same lyrics sung by Les Salonga, still have valuable meaning in our lives today. "Be brave little one. Make a wish for each sad little tear. Hold your head up though no one is near. Someone's waiting for you....Always keep a little prayer in your pocket and you're sure to see the light. Soon they'll be joy and happiness and your little world will be bright. Have faith little one 'till your hopes and your wishes come true. You must try to be brave little one..someone's waiting to love you." This is where our hope truly lies, does it not? When life has taken a sideways detour through the swamps of our very own Devil's Bayou, we know we're not alone. God is with us. Jesus Christ has already paved the way. If we can just remember this, our hope is not lost. Faith offers us hope and courage even if Orville's hollering, "Sufferin' sassafras! My rudder's on fire! Bail out! Bail out!" When Orville starts his shoutin' just remind yourself of Mark 5:36, "Don't be afraid, Just believe." This is faith.
So yes, when the mountains look so big we can't imagine reaching the top or when the tide is almost so close it seems we'll drown...hold on tightly to your faith in Jesus Christ. After all, in the face of death He clung to His. We can do the same under far less circumstances. Our tears are not ours alone. Our Father in Heaven hears our cries catching our tears in the palms of His hands. And yes, He even provides us our own version of the Rescue Aid Society... in the form of our brothers and sisters in Christ. See, we never walk alone. Just like in 'The Rescuers' we face the future together. I found Life Lesson #202 ~ Have Faith, early on in life. Much like Oprah Winfrey, "I was once afraid of people saying, "Who does she think she is?" Now I have the courage to stand and say, "This is who I am." This is the thing, faith is required if you plan to make it out of the swamp, in one piece anyway. Why? Because the journey takes courage and without faith, courage isn't possible. This is the truth I found some 40 years ago inside a small army post movie theater, snuggled between my parents, eating popcorn and watching 'The Rescuers'. I came away that night with this message imprinted on my heart...have faith little one...and I've kept it burning each and every day since. Hebrews 12:2 has continually served as a guiding light in my life for all these years."Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for Him, He thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and He is now seated at the right hand of God's throne." Listen to me, God's got this. He's heard your prayers, now all you have to do is have faith and trust His timing. No matter where you are, God is with you. After all, "Worry ends when faith begins." So I say to you today my friends take hold of the faith you once had as a child and simply believe. Keep fighting the good fight. Always let your light shine. Let faith be your guide and let courage lead the way out of Devil's Bayou. Just keep in mind, if you kneel before God, you can stand before anyone. I'm telling you, if you truly have faith, nothing the Devil or Satan and his advesaries throw your way can defeat God's plan and purpose for your life. Isaiah 14:27 declares this loud and clear. "Nothing can stop God's plan for your life." Remember my sweet, brave little one...you are saved by grace, now go and walk by faith, not by sight. You've got this, and so does Jesus. After all, He both paid and paved the way.
"God is working for you tonight. Heaven is holding conversations about you. Angels have been assigned to you. Be at peace." ~ Unknown
~ Merida Grace
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