Some people say that us “English” people make too much out of little things, or try to read meaning into things that aren’t really meaningful….like when my students used to give me skeptical looks after my enthusiastic pontification about the mountains of symbolism available on just the first PAGE of Of Mice and Men. (Really, it’s quite remarkable – you could write a lengthy and complex essay on the craft of that one page.)

Some people say we’re crazy. “Mrs. Robinson, how do you know that John Steinbeck meant to do all of that? Couldn’t it just be coincidence?” (Later upon trying to WRITE with literary techniques, they were sorely disappointed to realize that these do not happen by accident.)

Someone once tried to convince me that the Chronicles of Narnia should only be taken at face value. “What – it’s just a story about a Lion. What’s the big deal?” And this was an adult woman with a Christian background. (When I tried to explain the allegorical connections, she said I was reaching for things.)

I think allegory and metaphor help us find our way in a world that is more than just flesh and bone. If there is an unexplainable mystery in life, as I’m sure there are many, we can begin to understand it through story. At least theses things (allegory and metaphor) help us develop a way of looking at life, and to me, it seems most helpful when trying to understand God.

Lately I’ve come across several life experience that, though I wouldn’t say they’re quite allegorical, certainly offer parallels to my experience with life and with God.

BLUEBERRIES

I went to pick blueberries with Josie (which is AWESOME – the large bushes offer shade while you pick, and some berries grow low enough so Josie can pick her own – though those rarely made it into the bucket). There’s a blueberry farm very close to our house, and so one morning I decided we needed to go. I was shocked at how easy it was – much better than picking strawberries, which I had done as a child – these grow close to the ground and you have to cover many rows of plants before getting very many. These blueberries, though, were everywhere! I basically stood at the edge of a bush and picked only the ones that were easiest to reach (since I also had Ellie strapped to my chest), then moved on to the next bush. We only hit maybe a dozen bushes covering about 30 feet of ground, but that was enough to easily fill my bucket. There were rows upon rows that were yet untouched, and even the bushes I picked from had many more berries hidden on the inner branches.

As I reached for a handful of giant berries, it hit me: here is this unspeakable wealth tucked amidst the countryside of a state that is otherwise quite poor. Economically, things aren’t so hot for much of the state. But the berries don’t know that. They’re flooding the fields – and it’s not just blueberries. I thought of the corn flooding the roadside stands, the black raspberries lining the woods at the build site.

This makes me wonder about my own life – there is bounty, even amidst deficiencies. Blessings are easy to overlook when my subconscious mind is overcrowded by a faceless disquiet. And subsequently, once recognized, those blessings remind of God, who is above circumstance – and so root me in certainty and lift the clouds.

PACIFIER

I’ve recently taken Ellie’s Paci away, “cold turkey.” We’re still trying to fix the nursing problem, and I finally owned up to the fact that just about every breastfeeding expert says pacifiers are no good, particularly if you’re having trouble. So I did it.

I knew there would be more crying, but after about a day of it I really wanted to give her her pacifier back. In a moment of weakness I did, and she quieted right down and went to sleep. Convicted that I needed to stay the course (at least until things look up for our nursing routine), I went in and pulled the pacifier back out. She, of course, cried.But I felt certain that I was doing the absolute best thing I could for her, even though she didn’t like it very much.

It’s not that the pacifier is so terrible, especially for a baby who is breastfeeding well at the same time. But sometimes a baby will focus too much on the pacifier – learn a new way of sucking that is paci-specific, prefer the feel of the pacifier to the feel of the breast, etc, and this is of course detrimental to breastfeeding. The pacifier is fine, but it doesn’t give life. And the minute the baby wants the non-life-giving pacifier more than the live-giving breast, there is a problem.

I wonder what MY pacifiers are in life – what kinds of things keep me calm and comfortable but threaten to take the place of my REAL life-giving source…? And when God takes those away, do I recognize that it’s for my own good? Or do I cry and fuss and long for the pacifier – even though it is of no real benefit to me? It’s amazing how much I am like a little child when compared with the wisdom of God.

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