Give them roots and wings

There have been discussions about the demise of Literature in school recently.  How sad.

Literature was my favourite subject in school.  Perhaps that is why I enjoy writing.  I enjoy extracting meaning and beauty from the ordinary things in life.

Besides, so many of my life philosophies came from good books which I have read.

One of my favourite books is Watership Down.  It is a story about a group of rabbits who left their home warren to make a new home for themselves.  Their journey brought great dangers but forged deep friendship and made heroes of these ordinary rabbits.

When I first started on the book, I could not put it down.  I remembered that after I reached the end, I had to start reading it again, right from the beginning, because I did not want the story to end.  I must have re-read it about five times the first time before I finally laid it aside.  The next time I picked it up, I re-read it a few times again.  I must have read the book for close to 20 times – that was how much I loved it.

Here is my favourite part of the book.  It was at the end of the story, where Bigwig was told to defend the warren against their enemy – Woundwort (he is a big bully) at all cost.  Bigwig was fighting against Woundwort in a run (tunnel), and behind him were the rest of the rabbits, hiding away.  Woundwort was twice his size and stronger than him.

After some fighting, Bigwig was out of breath and half-dead.

So Woundwort asked “Why do you want to throw your life away? I can send one fresh rabbit after another into this run if I choose.  Come back to Efrafa, I promise I’ll give you the command of any Mark you like.  I give you my word.”

Bigwig refused.

After another big tussle, there was a pause in the fight, and Woundwort went out to check on his other rabbits.  After he returned, he found Bigwig all ready to fight him again. Woundwort knew then, that he was not up to fighting Bigwig.  So he tried to lure him into surrender.

Woundwort said “We have unblocked a run out here.  I can bring in enough rabbits to pull down this wall in four places.  Why don’t you come out?”

Bigwig’s reply, clear and with great conviction was “My Chief Rabbit has told me to defend this run and until he says otherwise I shall stay here.”

What a friendly looking warrior! 🙂
I don’t know, son, what dangers you will face in future.
But our God knows. 
He will equip you and He will be with you.
You will be ready.

There have been many times in my life when I thought that things were too tough for me, and I wanted to give up.  What Bigwig said would always come back to me.  “My Chief Rabbit has told me to defend this run and until he says otherwise I shall stay here.”

If my Chief has asked me to hold my ground, I must hold my ground until He says otherwise.

The book Watership Down has become even more special for me because Elkan recently read through it too.  He was told about it in Literature class in school and was thrilled to discover that we have a copy at home.  However, his enjoyment of it is still shallow.  He found it cute that the rabbits could only count up to 5, and anything beyond that is “hrair” to them (see what a mathematical boy I have…).

But it is wonderful when we are able to share a thing of beauty with our loved ones.  One of the greatest rewards of parenthood is for the parent to see his/her child mature and for the child to understand what the parent understands, and to be moved by what moves the parent.

It was special, when Elias felt sad when we listend to the song “Cat’s in the cradle”  together yesterday.

Today he in turn shared a video with me.  It made me weep.

I wept because I understood the story from two perspectives.

Firstly, I am like one of those people on the train – whose lives were saved at the cost of the life of that boy, and the broken heart of the father.  That is what it means to be redeemed by the blood of the Son of God.

Secondly, I am a mother.  I know what it means to have to choose the way the father had to choose.

I asked myself the question – how will I choose? Where is my allegiance?  Is it to my God, or to my child?

I wept, because I know what my answer will be.

I would say, as Bigwig did :”My Chief Rabbit has told me to defend this run and until he says otherwise I shall stay here”.  Whatever it takes.

Literature and Art inspires me.  It makes me stand tall and emboldens my heart.  It also brings me to my knees and breaks my heart.  The value of Literature to me, is priceless.