Soldiers, mice, and their stories.

I remember the first time I ever performed with my ballet company, when I was 11 years old. It was opening night of The Nutcracker. We were on our way to be soldiers, since that's the part we played in the first act. It was almost time, and I hugged my best friend right before we went on. Then the music came on, we put on our stern solider faces... and on our tippy toes we went. Running across the stage, dancing the steps we knew by heart, fighting mice, and in the end being victorious. But not by anything we did, that was just the role we got to play. The mice were the younger girls. I could've just been as easily told to played a mouse, if I didn't do what I was asked to do as a soldier. Or, I could've ended up in the wrong spot on stage during the performance.. and messed the whole thing up. I could've been the soldier in spot of the mouse who gets shot. But, everything was going as planned. I remember never wanting to leave that spot. The spotlight was shinning down, people were watching in awe. Some knew what would happen, some wondered where the next step would land. But just like it started, it was over. How could I be a part of something I had always dreamed about, something that meant so much to me that it became a part of me, be over so fast? As I think about this now, I think about how much this applies to so many areas of our lives. How often do we dream of something, desire something so much, that it becomes a part of us? It defines our every move. It becomes the role we want to play in life. Some people are the mice. Some people are the soldiers. When I think about mice in life, I think about the scared people. The people who can't face their fears. The ones who would come in at night to attack, because they are scared of the light. But then the soldiers, those people are the brave ones. The ones who have courage. They stay and fight. They bring everything they have. They run across stage, on their tippy toes. The mice stand flat feet, because they are scared to trust. The soldiers want to feel light, to take a chance, to feel like they are take a leap of faith. They get to play the big role... the victorious role. This is how I see humans. There are the mice and the soldiers. God is The Nutcracker. The devil is the mouse king. God controls every step of the soldiers, while the devil plays with the mice. The spotlight shines on both of them. The people in their life watch in awe. Some know what will happen, because they've studied their story a thousand times. Some wonder, because they have never seen it before. But sometimes, we change everything. The mice can step into a soldier's spot, and a soldier can change back into a mouse. Everyone starts off as a mouse, since they are the youngest... that's the first step you have to go through. You grow into a soldier. You have to learn that Jesus has called us all to be soldiers. He wants to teach us every move. Wouldn't you rather be victorious? Every situation you enter, you have a choice... be a soldier or a mouse. Stay and fight your fear. Or come in at dark, then scatter as soon as it comes alive. I remember when I realized that being a soldier was better, in The Nutcracker, and in real life. I remember being a ballet dancing soldier, because it was what I had always wanted... I'm not going to give up now. Why, now when I need to be strong more than I ever have needed to be, would I choose to be a mouse? I've got the solider steps down... it's only time to perform them. PS: I like their outfits better anyways.