When we were just little kids, my dad occasionally displayed his more playful side.
This usually involved chasing each of us down, then tickling us till we howled for mercy.
It went like this:
Dad would lunge for the oldest kid, Jay. (There were five of us.)
The rest of us would stand and watch him get dumped onto the couch and tickled.
Jay, being the oldest, and being so dignified usually only got a few seconds of tickle time.
Then it was Lee's turn. She'd make a half-hearted attempt to flee, but Daddy would catch her and give her the same treatment.
Then on to Lori, who had been watching Lee's tickle torture. Lori was obviously enjoying herself immensely.
My twin, Royce, got an extended time of tickles. Probably because he would spring away and make my dad work extra hard to catch him.
Last, I got the tickle torture.
Mine was the worst, of course, because I had to witness four people ahead of me.
The fearful expectation of tickling made me breathless. I could run fast as a small child, so my dad had to chase me down the neighborhood block until I couldn't catch my breath anymore. Laughing hard, he'd seize me, sling me over his shoulder and carry me home like a sack of potatoes.
Then...
A fun memory.
But I wonder why none of us bright children thought to hide ourselves while one of the others was getting tickled?
Maybe we thought we didn't have the right to absent ourselves from the tickle game.
We were all very obedient and compliant children...
even when we knew we were doomed by our lack of action.
Still, it seems strange that all five of us stood by, witnessing the "torture" of our brothers and sisters and did nothing to elude the calamity which was soon to follow.
Sometimes, I suspect, it's not always good to unquestioningly accept our fate.
As adults, we need to take action to ensure our safety at the first hint of danger.
Not when it has already arrived:
This usually involved chasing each of us down, then tickling us till we howled for mercy.
It went like this:
Dad would lunge for the oldest kid, Jay. (There were five of us.)
The rest of us would stand and watch him get dumped onto the couch and tickled.
Jay, being the oldest, and being so dignified usually only got a few seconds of tickle time.
Then it was Lee's turn. She'd make a half-hearted attempt to flee, but Daddy would catch her and give her the same treatment.
Then on to Lori, who had been watching Lee's tickle torture. Lori was obviously enjoying herself immensely.
My twin, Royce, got an extended time of tickles. Probably because he would spring away and make my dad work extra hard to catch him.
Last, I got the tickle torture.
Mine was the worst, of course, because I had to witness four people ahead of me.
The fearful expectation of tickling made me breathless. I could run fast as a small child, so my dad had to chase me down the neighborhood block until I couldn't catch my breath anymore. Laughing hard, he'd seize me, sling me over his shoulder and carry me home like a sack of potatoes.
Then...
A fun memory.
But I wonder why none of us bright children thought to hide ourselves while one of the others was getting tickled?
Maybe we thought we didn't have the right to absent ourselves from the tickle game.
We were all very obedient and compliant children...
even when we knew we were doomed by our lack of action.
Still, it seems strange that all five of us stood by, witnessing the "torture" of our brothers and sisters and did nothing to elude the calamity which was soon to follow.
Sometimes, I suspect, it's not always good to unquestioningly accept our fate.
As adults, we need to take action to ensure our safety at the first hint of danger.
Not when it has already arrived:
- If it is building a nest egg, start now, not later.
- If it is getting out of debt, start today.
- If you have just had a baby, start today to lead him/her to Christ. Not when they're older.
- If it is repairing a relationship, don't wait till the damage is irreparable.
- If it is fixing something broken in the house, don't wait till it costs thousands. Fix it now.
- If it is giving to a charity, or getting involved in a ministry, and you've been thinking about it for years, what are you waiting for?
- If it is taking action to protect your children from a bad influence, act now. Don't wait to see how things go.
"Therefore, prepare your minds for action..." (1 Pet. 1:13 NIB Bible)
A good word for today, Dena!
ReplyDeleteAnd...now is the day of salvation. Don't wait until you're on your death bed.
Thanks, Susan.
ReplyDelete