Come as a Child
"They started arguing over which of them would be most famous. When Jesus realized how much this mattered to them, He brought a child..." Luke 9:46-47 The Message
No matter how many pictures I post on Facebook or how many stories of fascination at the soldiers' responses to the crazy creations from Hat-a-palooza, it remains just one of those miracles, until you've seen it, you can't really "get" it.
Even the Director, Administrator and Teen Leader who are some of my biggest fans, didn't really know the "deal" (or my exuberance) about the tinseled up trophies. However, they love me for my enthusiasm and have learned to just go with the flow and accept my whack-EE-ness. During the multiple nights of Trophee-pa-looza, my team would shake their heads and grin when at any given moment as the glue guns were blazing, I would just stop and say, "Jesus - WHAT are You going to do with this one?!"
"Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?" Isaiah 53:1 The Message
When we first arrived and unloaded our end-all-to-be-all Grand Poopaw trophy we endured the giggles, the questions of "What IS that?" and the out and out laughter. I've developed a tough skin and about my zany creative expressions and let it roll over and off like water on a ducks back or rain on a crazy hat! I even brought a lazy susan so it could be admired from every angle. Of course such a grand creation needed an equally impressive place to receive entries!
What better repurpose for an army ammunition box covered with kitchee costume jewelry, to serve as a place where soldiers could heal rather than harm! Each day the box got fuller and fuller with little slips of paper. One soldier took a sheet of cardboard and wrote his name on it and attached it to the top of the Grand Poopaw. This prompted another soldier to quickly remove it, scratch the name off, attach a string to wear around his neck and write "Vote for Me!" on the other side!
Honestly, we thought most of the entries would be comical, or between the two who seemed to be having the most fun "campaigning" for it. We were wrong.
After one of the tensest evenings (see Mile 22), and emotionally draining days I've ever experienced in 15 years of ministry (hence the PTSD lashing my dear friends suffered) I retired back to my room with my assistant and opened our aptly named "Be-Jammo Box."
It was overflowing with entries, one which was handed to me at the last minute by my soldier friend who said, "These are all the things I've never had the courage or means to say to my spouse and care-giver. Even if they don't win will you see they get these 8 pages, I don't have the strength to say them out loud."
We sat and read for two hours, page after page after page of heartfelt entries. Some of course were quite humorous. Some had obviously stuffed the ballot box (it was allowed). Some had changed up their handwriting on different sheets in an effort to appear more popular. We laughed, but mostly we cried. It was probably a cumulative combination of the whole week, but it was also knowing some silly gargantuan gaudy expression of love had given these Wounded Warriors and their loved ones a place to express how much they valued and cherished each other.
"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one..." Luke 15:7
And then we came to the winning vote. The writing was obviously a child's, printed and with large spacing between the lines. "I think my Daddy M deserves poopaw because he saved my life..."
The verse in Luke is often quoted because Jesus used it to illustrate how the Shepherd gladly leaves the "ninety and nine" to find the one sheep that is lost. But I used it because it caused me to reflect on the Truth of the Gospel.
Many people will answer why they think they should be in heaven with a litany of responses, first being "I am a good person." But Jesus clearly stated "No one comes to the Father, except through Me." (John 14:16)
There were a lot of great and worthy reasons "why" held in that bejeweled box, but in the end, it was the man who received only one vote, the entry of his adopted grandson that won. This Wounded Warrior not only sacrificed for our country, he saved the life of one.
That's a winner, and that sounds a lot like Jesus!
Thankful, smiling and congratulating the winner
