For Such a Time as This & Then

The frogs are singing. I love them. It's their time of year to make their presence known. They naturally have plans for all their croaks....trying to be so attractive... giving these breezy cool nights an ambiance chasing away the recent snows. Tiny bodies, no bigger than a lemon, carrying on so loud that one can hear them, doors opened wide, all down the hall to our bedroom. I just love them. So small a creature..so big an effect.

Lately, kings have been on my mind. "The King's Speech" was an amazing film, so beautifully done. My daughter, Jennifer, gave me a fascinating book, Majestie, by David Teems. A biography of King James. You know, the king behind the King James Bible. What a couple of unique individuals...King James and King Charles VI. King James was beyond an individual. Very comforting to know. His heart was truly to make the Bible available and understandable to all men who spoke English, not just the learned. He was not your pious, behind the scenes kind of king. He was an imperfect, fleshly rascal...Yet...he was used beyond his wildest imaginations.

King Charles, VI was a wonder. His stammering could have sunk a lesser man. His birth order almost derailed his ability to rule, but his brother's weak, selfish nature brought him to the forefront of a time needing much more of a sovereign. Without Charles I wonder what would have become of Europe at the hands of the tyrannical maniacs that were strangling kingdoms left and right. His people would come to depend on him and he served them well. The final scene in the film is very moving to me, because they, the sovereigns, and they, the citizens, had no idea how devastating their next years would be. But they were victorious.

Now to the frogs...
tiny, temporarily noisy, ugly, illusive...they charm and give the spring a song like no other. I'm always blessed by their coming. A small span of time.

King James was an interesting king, much like his mother, Mary, Oueen of Scots. But it is obvious he had an enormous role to play and his time was started June 19, 1566. He was born and survived to adulthood to change the world for the better...despite his imperfections. God is Sovereign.

King Charles was not supposed to be the king. He had not actually been raised to be, nor did he actually desire to be..a king. But his brother the king's desire for a forbidden marriage overrode a responsibility to his country thus making him impotent in the worst way. It was one of the greatest reigns-gone-bad in the history of the world. Charles loved his country, his family and had a sense of responsibility far beyond his brothers ability to comprehend. Where would all free people have been without the right men in the front lines against a tyrant like Hitler?Charles knew how to apply the balm of security and understanding. God is Sovereign.

So...just wondering...what about callings on our lives? Do we say, "That couldn't possibly be me that is supposed to do that with my life? I'm not made of the right stuff." Two kings and a few thousand frogs would tell you different if they could. What song are you to sing, what new territory are you supposed to open up, what battle challenges you?

Do not miss your place in history....from the pond or the castle or your own piece of turf.


But Moses said to God,
"Who am I,
that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

And God said,
"I will be with you. "

Exodus 3:11 & 12a
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Mordecai to Queen Esther,
"....and who knows but that you have come to royal position
for such a time as this?"

Esther 4:14b
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All we have to decide is what to do with the time
that is given us.

J. R. R. Tolkien
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May we all make the most of our lives.