Allison’s Adventure In Wonderland (Part 2)

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Read Part 1 here

What a curious place Allison thought, taking in the brighter than bright colors all around her. Grass so green, flowers so bright, a sky so vibrant that it didn’t look real. Of course, she wouldn’t dare voice her thoughts out loud. None of the others seemed the least bit amazed by their surroundings, and she didn’t want to stand out.

The brown rabbit hopped and stopped just in front of a large tree surrounded by spotted mushrooms, his nose twitching as he looked back at the others. “This is the spot. One of you should ask for directions.”

The little gray rabbit shook her head so quickly, her whiskers became a blurr. “Not me. I hate talking to strangers. What if they don’t like me? What if I don’t like them?”

“Me neither,” the black rabbit grunted. “Because I just don’t wanna.”

Brown rabbit got that annoyed rabbit look again, crossing his paws over his fuzzy chest. “Well, somebody has to. I’ve already taken the lead of this adventure and it wouldn’t be fair to make me do all the work.”

Three pairs of round eyes turned to Allison. She gulped. Should she tell them she was afraid too? That she didn’t want to either? And that it didn’t seem fair to put all this pressure on her?

Just as she opened her mouth to argue her point, she froze. A grin – and only a grin – appeared in the leaves of the tree just above brown rabbit.

The others sensed her shock and turned around, their little rabbit jaws dropping to the ground. Gray rabbit jumped up in the air and bolted behind black rabbit, shaking all over.

“Fear,” the grin said slowly, growing even more grin-like, “will prove to be a snare, my dear.”

“I-I’m not afraid,” gray rabbit managed, her voice shaking more than her body.

Two yellow eyes, full of as much mischief and mystery as the grin, appeared as well. “You could have fooled me, the cat in the tree. Self-conscious and worried, always quite flurried. Fear always hold you back – there’s no doubt about that.”

Allison’s heart beat hard inside of her little rabbit chest, seeing that those yellow eyes weren’t on gray rabbit but on her.

“Tell me,” said the purple cat – now fully visible, “my bunny friend, when does it end? The doubt and unease, they make you freeze. You won’t take a risk, so much you have missed.” He slowly began to disappear again until only that grin remained. “Fear..will prove to be a snare, my dear.”

And like that, the grinning cat was gone.

Gray rabbit peeked out from behind black rabbit. “Is he gone?”

“The nerve,” brown rabbit huffed, his fur bristling. “Speaking to us like that. He had no right. Come along, let’s hop to it.”

As the others moved forward, Allison paused for a moment. Fear? A snare? Like one that would catch a rabbit? Not wanting to think too much about it, she pushed back the uneasy feeling once more that she was forgetting something. Something important. “Wait for me!” she called, not wanting to be left behind, though she still had no idea where they were going…

To be continued…

Allison’s Adventure In Wonderland (Part 1)

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We all know the story of Alice – the curious fair haired girl who followed a rabbit down a hole and ended up on a rather strange adventure.

But less well known is the tale of her little sister, Allison.

Little sister Allison. Not as cute Allison. Not as outgoing Allison. Poor little Allison – plain brown hair, plain brown personality, forever living in the engulfing shadow of her big sister.

Allison was there that day her sister disappeared into the rabbit hole. Watching her blue dress and blond curls drop off into nothing, Allison gasped. “Oh no! Sister has done it again! Never safe, never sensible. She has no idea what could be down there. Bears? Dragons? Should I go after her? No, I can’t. I shouldn’t. What if something should happen to me?”

So she sat on a large rock, not noticing the sunshine, blue sky, and sweetness lingering in the air, a mixture of emotions storming through her. “She wouldn’t come after me if I were to have gone. So why should I go after her?”

“Indeed,” piped up a voice from a bush behind her.

Allison spun, coming face to face with a large pair of dark eyes on a brown furry little face. “What’s this? Another talking rabbit?”

The rabbit looked annoyed, if rabbits could look annoyed, and tapped his big hind paw on the grass. “And just what’s that supposed to mean? You don’t think rabbits should be allowed to talk?”

“Well, truthfully-”

“I can talk. I can think. I can reason. I can do whatever I want to do. Who are you to stop me?”

Now Allison was the one to feel annoyed. She crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the strange tickling in her nose. “I’m not trying to stop you. In fact, I agree with you. Which is just why I’m not going to chase after my silly sister. She wouldn’t do it for me. It doesn’t make sense that I would do if for her. Illogical even.”

“I don’t blame you,” came another voice.

Allison peered through the bushes to try and see the source. Hidden beneath a pile of leaves was another rabbit, this one small and gray. “I say, why don’t you come out of there?”

The timid rabbit shook her head. “There could be things out there. Scary things. Or difficult things.”

Feeling a chill run down her spine, Allison looked around. “You may be right.”

Poking out her head a little bit, the rabbit looked around as well. “Besides, what will others think of me? What if I say the wrong thing? What if I don’t fit in?” She ducked back beneath the leaves. “Better safe than sorry.”

Allison suddenly wished for her own pile of leaves to hide under. Her nose continued to tingle – somewhere between the need to sneeze and the need to itch.

“I’ll tell you why you shouldn’t go,” came a gruff voice from behind her.

She spun, spotting the largest, blackest, scruffiest looking rabbit she’d ever seen.

His ears flopped back and he grinned a sick kind of grin. “Because you don’t really wanna.”

Standing up straighter, Allison nodded. “You’re right.”

“There’s probably hundreds of other things you’d rather do.”

“Millions,” Allison agreed, finally giving in the need to scratch her nose.

“If it feels good, do it. If not…” he shrugged, rolling his eyes.

Allison nodded. “Yes! And I feel like eating pie and taking a nap right now!”

The black rabbit laughed, hopping closer to her, seeming to grow right before her eyes. “That’s cause you’re just like me.”

“I am just like you. Like all of you. Except I’m not a…” Allison trailed off, suddenly forgetting what she was going to say.

“Not a what?” the brown rabbit asked, hopping closer, looking twice as big as when she first spotted him. “Don’t start speaking if you aren’t going to finish. Quite annoying.”

“I’m not a…” again, she trailed off, scratching at her nose, batting at her whiskers as they got in the way.

“Maybe she’s scared of us,” the not-so-tiny gray rabbit squeaked, finally hopping out of the leaves.

Allison waved a dismissive paw through the air. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not scared of you three. I’m just like you.”

“Except?” the black rabbit asked, grinning that sick grin again.

Pausing, she thought for a moment. Then she shook her floppy ears. “Except nothing, I suppose.”

“Good then!” the black rabbit said with a laugh. “Shall we be off?”

Allison nodded, ignoring the tingle in the back of her mind that something wasn’t quite right.

So Allison, the ethical and self-righteous brown rabbit, the scared and self-conscious gray rabbit, and the sensual and self-indulgent black rabbit hopped off down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.

To be continued…

When Staying Home Is Bad For You

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” – 1 Corinthians 13:11

It’s Christmas break time! I love this time of year because so many amazing college girls who’ve gone off for untold adventure are home for a few weeks, regaling us all with tales of dorm life, crazy professors, and killer finals.

But, as this season blows in, something else stirs beneath the surface. Something sinister that threatens this beautiful time with feelings of anger, sorrow, discontent, and fear.

I call it – homesickness.

This homesickness isn’t what you typically think of as homesickness. It can manifest itself in a couple of ways.

The “I hate my college life and never want to go back” homesickness. These are the people that went off to school and were slapped up one side and down the other with a harsh dose of reality. All of a sudden they realize people aren’t generally nice or good (argument for total depravity? I think so!) Nobody cares about them like their parents do. Sharing living space the size of a sardine can with a stranger is worse than they could have ever imagined. They just want to come home…and stay home.

And then there’s the “I never left for college and, when my college friends come home, it makes me want to curl into a ball and pretend like I’m not missing out on anything by not changing anything in my life” homesickness. These are the ones who went to community college or simply got a job. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that. But they are so comfortable in the lives they’ve lead up to this point, they refuse to change. They don’t want to move out of their childhood bedroom. They don’t want to risk going anywhere. They don’t want to do anything on their own because, frankly, that’s kind of scary.

Do you know one of these people? Are you one of these people? Is your home literally making you sick regarding the life you lead? Here are some suggestions.

-Pray. Isn’t that where it always starts? But don’t do a, “God my life is miserable – change it,” prayer. Or a, “God, this is what I want, so make it happen,” prayer. But try a, “God, you know what I need more than I do. God, you know the plans you have for my life more than I do. Help me to get on board with your will, whatever it may be.”

-Talk to someone who’s been there. This is the benefit of having older, godly people in your life. Bring up your concerns and ask for their advice. Take it to heart, knowing you can trust them.

-Soak in the Word. The Bible is full of people just like you. People who were thrown into a situation that they hated and needed to persevere (Daniel, Ruth, Jeremiah). People who were scared of change and risk, but knew they needed to do it (Moses, Joseph, Gideon). When is the last time you read about someone in the Bible and thought, “That’s just what I need to do!”

-Don’t be rash. Should you stay? Should you go? This isn’t a decision that can be made in an emotional instant. Pray. Talk. Soak. Repeat. Don’t expect an answer over night, but don’t give up until you get one that you, your parents, and your godly mentors all have peace about.

My last bit of wisdom: Grow up. If you want to leave school because it’s hard, know that life from this point is hard. At one point, you’re going to have to stick through something that you just don’t want to do. Maybe this is it.

If you want to stay home because you’re scared to make new friends, live on your own, and find a new church, get over it. Once we become complacent and comfortable in life, we stop growing. You don’t want to be one of those kidults who refuses to grow up, living with their parents, never really moving into adulthood.

All that to say, maybe God is calling you to leave school. Maybe leaving in the first place really and truly wasn’t the best thing for you. Maybe God is calling you stay home, to help out your parents, and to save money.

The question is, have you prayed about it? Have you laid your fears, worries, and wants at His feet? Have you asked yourself, “What would a grown-up do?”

Question: Where in your life are you miserable right now? Is it a time to persevere or a time to change? Where in your life are you comfortable right now? Is it a time to enjoy, or a time to shake things up?

Related articles

• 9 Ways to Handle Homesickness (usnews.com)
• 3 Ways for Parents to Support a Homesick College Student (usnews.com)
• 5 Ways for College Students to Survive Being Homesick (usnews.com)

Are You Afraid Of the Dark?

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“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” – Spencer Johnson

 

Topping my list is sky diving, followed by big game hunting. I might throw in traveling around the world, auditioning for American Idol, and surfing as well.

But isn’t it amazing how fear holds us back? Fear of failure. Fear of getting hurt. Fear of embarrassment. Big things, small things, immediate things, and far away things all seem to get hindered by some kind of fear.

So how do we get over it?

The Bible is very clear about what not to fear. And tells us to fear only one thing.

“Fear God.” – 1 Peter 2:17

 

Can I suggest that when we fear all those other things, we aren’t fearing God? It’s like we say, “God, you may be sovereign and totally in control. You may be good and holy. You may be awesome and powerful and mighty and about a billion other things. But this thing right here? This circumstance? This risk? Apparently that fear is greater than my fear of you.”

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

My thing was to write a book. I’d always wanted to. I’m passionate about writing and I’m passionate about Jesus. I felt like He gave me a story to tell.

But it scared me. Scared me to start. Scared me to finish. Scared me to invest time and money into something that might not work out. What if no one read it? What if my writing was no good? What if, what if, what if?

What if I feared God, trusted God, and followed God every time I came face to face with fear?

What if you did? (And this time, it’s not rhetorical) What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

PS – Don’t forget, you have the chance to win a free copy of my book! Just subscribe if you haven’t already. And, every time you comment, you will be entered into the drawing.

My Storm

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He awoke

To the sound of anarchy

Thunder and waves

Battled to tear them apart

He awoke

To the sound of terror

Panic and fear

Threatened to destroy them

He awoke

To their cries

“Help us! Save us!”

“We’re going to die!”

He awoke

Ready

And willing

Desiring to answer

Didn’t they know?

There would always be storms

Didn’t they know?

Dismay and doubt lurked around every corner

Didn’t they know?

This wasn’t the end

But the beginning.

“Peace. Be still.”

Be still, O my soul

Be still before the Lord.

No storm

No trial

Nothing in this life

Is beyond His reach

He spoke and the storm obeyed.

He still speaks.

“Peace. Be still.”

Didn’t you know?

He’s always been awake.

“Peace. Be still.”