A Tale of Courage

Benny and the Miraculous Bible:  A Tale of Courage

By

R L Childers

     Benny was scared. Really scared. Not scared like when his mom forgot to leave his night-light on scared. This was more like he was starting a new school tomorrow and everyone was going to laugh at him because he had glasses and bright, red hair that stuck up no matter what he did to it scared. His mom told him not to worry, that he would make new friends, and that she was praying for him to be less scared. But moms are supposed to say things like that. It did not make Benny feel any better.
       At dinner that night Benny could not eat a thing. His stomach felt all yucky, and he thought there was a big chunk of play doh in his throat, although he didn’t remember eating any play doh. Not today anyway.
     “Benny, aren’t you going to eat your chicken soufflé?” his mom asked.
     “No, Mom, I’m not hungry. Can I be excused please?” Benny said.
     “Sure, honey. You’re not sick are you?”
     “No, Mom, just scared about starting school tomorrow.”
     “Well, why don’t you try praying about it?  I have been. Talking to God can help you feel better and maybe not so scared.”
     “Thanks, Mom, I will, ” Benny said.
     Benny went to his room and lay down on his bed. He was not as sure as his mom was that praying would make him feel any better about starting a new school tomorrow. He was pretty sure that the only thing that would make him feel better would be moving back to his old neighborhood so he could go to school with his old friends.
     Benny decided to go exploring in the dusty attic of his new house instead of praying. Maybe it would take his mind off school tomorrow, he thought. He climbed the steep staircase up into the attic and pulled the cord to turn on the single light bulb. There was a bunch of cool stuff up there that the old owners of the house said they could have.
     Benny had already found a model airplane that his dad told him was called a Cessna Cardinal. The plane had a small, red bird painted on the tail. Benny’s dad told him he would take him flying in a plane like that soon but Benny was a little bit afraid of flying. His dad assured him that, with God as their copilot, they would be safe. Benny had found that airplane the first time he went exploring in the attic.
     This time Benny went to a back corner of the attic that he had been wanting to check out. It was full of cobwebs and dust, but he had also spotted a cool looking, old wooden chest. The chest had some interesting carvings of animals in a garden. There was also a man and a woman carved on the chest, but Benny thought the animals were way cooler. Benny noticed that there was a book lying on top of the chest. The book looked like it had just been put there yesterday because there were no dust or cobwebs on it.
     “This is weird,” Benny said out loud to himself.
     He picked up the book and discovered it was an old Bible. The cover was worn, and it looked like it was well used. It was black and “Holy Bible” was inscribed on the front. Benny opened the Bible, and to his complete amazement, there was no writing in it!  Benny was stunned. He had never seen a Bible without any writing in it. He took it down to his bedroom so no one else would find it.
     Benny laid back down on his bed, his mind on the strange Bible he had found. He closed his eyes, his thoughts no longer on his new school, but on the Bible with no words in it. How could a Bible have nothing written in it?  What kind of a Bible was it?  Benny felt himself drifting off to sleep, thinking about the Bible.
     When Benny opened his eyes he was laying in the grass next to an old, white truck with a bumper sticker that said, “I am my Copilot.”  Huh, Benny thought, “I must be dreaming.” He got up, walked past the truck, and saw that he was at a little airport. He heard someone singing so he decided to walk toward the voice. Benny saw that it was an older man singing as he put gas into an airplane. It was a neat looking airplane, with a maroon stripe running down the side and a picture of a cardinal on the tail. “No way,” Benny thought. This plane looked exactly like the toy one he had found in his attic.
     “Hello?” Benny called out to the man.
     “Hello there, Benny,” said the kindly looking man.
     “You know my name?”  Benny asked amazed.
     “Of course, I do,” the man answered, “I know all about you, Benny.”
     “You do?”  Benny said.
     “Yep, sure do,” the man replied.
     “Who are you?” Benny asked.
     “I think I will let you figure that one out on your own,” he said.
     The man climbed into the plane and motioned for Benny to get in the copilot seat.
     “I’m a little afraid to fly,” Benny said.
     “I know, Benny, but you don’t have anything to worry about when you are with me,” the man stated.
     Benny felt comforted by the man’s words. “Besides,” Benny thought, “it’s just a dream after all.” Benny got into the plane with the man. He was curious about this man who said he knew everything about him. He wondered what things the man knew. Did he know his cats’ names?  Did he know that he hated it when his sister came into his room without asking?  Did he know he was afraid to start a new school tomorrow?  Benny was just about to ask the man these questions when he looked over and saw the man smiling.
     “What’s so funny?” Benny said.
     “Let me answer those questions for you,” the man said.
     “What questions?” Benny asked.
     “Your cats’ names are Fester and Callie, your sister thinks you’re really cool and she just wants to hang out with you, and you’re afraid you won’t make any new friends at school tomorrow and people will laugh at your red hair and glasses.”
     “Wow!” Benny exclaimed, “but I didn’t ask those questions out loud. I was only thinking them. How can you know what I’m thinking?  My mom says only God knows what I am thinking.”
     “Yes, that’s true,” he replied.
     “Does that mean, do you mean, are you God?” Benny stumbled over the question.
     “Yes, I am.”
     Benny didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to think either. Of course, if this was God, he already knew that Benny didn’t know what to say because he knew what Benny was thinking. Benny looked out the window expecting to see the airport, but they had taken off and were now flying over a glittery, blue lake.
     “I guess flying is not so bad after all,” Benny said.
     “No, it’s not,” God said. “Flying is actually quite wonderful.”
     “Can’t you fly without an airplane?” Benny asked.
     “Of course I can,” he said, “but you can’t.”
     “Oh, yeah,” Benny smiled.
     “So let’s talk about you being afraid to start a new school tomorrow,” God said.
     “Well,” Benny said, “everyone is going to laugh at me because I am the new kid, and I have funny, bright red hair and glasses.”
     “Benny, you don’t have funny hair. Your hair is perfect for you.”
     “I don’t really mind it, but everyone always thinks it’s funny. Even when we go to the grocery store, people stare at me.”
     “Are those the only reasons you are afraid to start a new school?” God asked. “Just because of your hair and glasses?”
     “Well, no, not really. I don’t have any friends here so I won’t have anyone to play with at recess or sit with at lunch.”
     “Benny, you will make new friends quite easily, I’m sure of it,” God said.
     “Really? You think so?  Of course you would know, right?” Benny asked.
     “Right,” God replied. “Benny, do you want to see someone being very courageous despite the fact that he is young, has red hair, and no one really believed in his abilities except me?”
     “Who is it?” Benny asked.
     “Look out your window,” God replied.
     Benny looked out his window and what he saw amazed him. They were flying over what looked like a battlefield right from the scene of a movie. There were men lined up for battle on each side of a valley. Benny saw a giant man step forward from one side. He was dressed from head to toe in shiny, coppery armor, and he began to shout at the other side. Benny couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he could tell that whatever the giant man was yelling was not friendly.
     “Is this a movie set?” Benny asked excitedly. “I always wanted to see a movie being filmed!”
     “No, it’s not a movie,” God laughed. “Just watch.”
      From the battle lines opposite of the giant, Benny saw a young man approaching. He was carrying a long stick in one hand and a small object in his other hand that Benny just couldn’t quite make out. He was not wearing armor like the giant. It finally occurred to Benny what he was seeing.
     “Is that David and Goliath?”  Benny asked, stunned at what he was seeing.
     “Yes, Benny, it is,” God replied.
     “You mean King David had red hair?”  Benny asked again, incredulously.
     God laughed, “Yes, he did.”
     “Wow, that is too cool,” Benny said, and he watched as David took the sling from his hand and threw the stone that brought down the giant, Goliath. Benny never imagined in all his years that he would get to see something like this, but then again, he never imagined that he would be riding in an airplane with God either.
     “So Benny, what do you think would have happened if David was afraid to face Goliath? What if he were afraid that the giant would laugh at his red hair and the fact that he didn’t have any armor?” God asked.
     “He probably wouldn’t have beat the giant and then he wouldn’t have become the king right?”  Benny asked.
     “Well, not quite Benny. David was chosen to be king before he defeated Goliath because I had a plan for him. I knew he would trust me completely, and he did. He knew that I would help him to defeat the giant. So David went out, and against the odds and everyone who laughed at him, he killed Goliath.”
     “I guess starting a new school doesn’t compare to fighting Goliath, does it?”  Benny said.
     “In a way it does, Benny,” God replied. “You are afraid of people laughing at you because of how you look and because no one knows who you are. You are afraid they might not look beyond your red hair and glasses and see the great person that you already are. Do you know who John Glenn, Thomas Jefferson, and Mark Twain are, Benny?”
     “Yes, John Glenn is an astronaut, and he was the first American to orbit the earth. Thomas Jefferson was the third US president, and Mark Twain wrote some really cool books about boys.”
     “That’s right, Benny,” God smiled, “but did you know that all of those men also had red hair?”
     “No way!”  Benny exclaimed, “I bet they probably got teased too, right?”
     “Yes,” God said. “Kids will tease and make fun of each other no matter what color hair, skin, eyes, or anything else they have. I would prefer it if all my children would learn to get along and would all love each other despite their differences, but so far, it hasn’t happened.”
     “But can’t you just make it happen?” Benny asked.
     “Yes I could,” God replied, “but because I love you all so much, I want you to have the freedom to make your own choices. Don’t you feel good when you make the right choices, Benny?” 
     “Yes I do.”
     “If I were to make those choices for you, then you wouldn’t feel as good because you didn’t get to make the choice on your own. Do you see what I mean?”
     “Yeah, I guess I do,” Benny said.
     “Let’s get back to your school problem then. There is a wonderful verse in the Old Testament that speaks of courage,” God continued. “It is found in the book of Deuteronomy in verse six of chapter thirty-one. These are the words that I gave Moses to encourage Joshua and the people of Israel when they were headed into a new land; ‘Be strong! Be courageous!  Do not be afraid of them for I will be with you. I will never fail you or abandon you.’”
     “That is a great verse,” Benny said. “All of those people were probably afraid just like me since they didn’t know what was going to happen when they got to their new land.”
     “Exactly right, Benny!  So as long as you remember that I will be with you tomorrow when you start school, you shouldn’t be scared, right?” God asked.
     “Right,” Benny replied.
     Benny looked down and saw that they were landing back at the little airport. Benny got out of the plane and thanked God for talking to him and making him feel better about school.
     “Was this a dream?” Benny asked as he started to walk back toward the old white truck.
     “Sort of, Benny, but that is a very special Bible you found. If there is ever anything you are not sure about or you need help with, just open it up, and you will find yourself here with me. I will always be waiting to help you whenever you need me,” God answered.
     Benny continued over to the truck, and this time he laughed at the bumper sticker. Who else would God need as a copilot except himself?  Benny sat down in the grass beside the truck and closed his eyes. He was so relaxed and comforted by the sound of God singing in the background that he fell asleep. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his room with his amazing Bible laying open in his lap. Benny noticed some words written in the Bible this time. It was the verse that God had shared with him.
     “Be strong!  Be courageous!  Do not be afraid of them!  For the Lord your God will be with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you,” Deuteronomy 31:6.
     Benny ran downstairs to the kitchen. Everyone was still sitting at the dinner table.
     “You mean you guys are still not done with dinner?” Benny asked.
     “Benny, you just went upstairs a few minutes ago. Why would we be done already?” his mom asked. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
     Benny started laughing. “Yes, Mom, I’m okay. Thanks for reminding me to talk to God about school tomorrow. It really did make me feel better.”
     “I guess it did,” his mom said, smiling.

Dear God,

Please help me not to be scared. Please help me to remember that you will always be with me no matter what and that you will never leave me. I have nothing to be afraid of because you are always with me and I can talk to you whenever I need to. In Jesus’ name, Amen.