Ah, the Pied Piper of Hamelin. We read the Robert Browning version of the piper story recently in sixth grade. Don't quite remember it? A rat infestation plagued a small community in Brunswick. Soon the town's folk stormed the city hall and demanded a solution from the mayor and his council of obese imbeciles who were hopeless to find a fix. The problem was quite serious... the rats were "fighting the dogs and killing the cats". Soon a queer fellow raps on the door and offers to rid the mayor and his city of the problem for $1000. The mayor, exasperated and a bit unbelieving runs off his mouth and says if he can indeed do it, he'll give him $50,000! Well, the piper plays his pipe and lures all the rats to the rolling river and in the river where they all drown, save one. So the piper fixes the problem, returns for his $1000, and the mayor refuses to pay. He offers the piper a meager $50 for the extermination of his epic problem. Thus the phase "it's time to pay the piper..." Keep your promises and pay your debts. The piper is not one to be trifled with... he went back onto the street and piped a tune that this time lured all the children of the town away, save one.... forever. How did he do it? The stories from the rat who survived and the lame boy who couldn't keep up are the same... the piper's song is so enthralling and cunning. It promises each creature the desires of his heart if he just follow. The old rat described it "like a great sun shone glorious, scarce an inch before me... soon, I found the Weser (river) rolling o'er me." The boy with the lame foot was in utter despair that he couldn't keep up and spends the rest of his life in depression and remorse over the situation. The piper's song had promised him healing.
So, what would the piper's song sing to me? I thought for a short moment. What fun! Suntanned skin year round and blaze orange polish on my toes with warm sand between them... Hair that never needed styled and a PX90 body without the PX90 workout... the sun on my face and a gentle, warm breeze on my back. Health, and hands that work all the time... Never have to eat again... Ooh, this IS fun. I could go on and on. But what is the cost? Do I get to have my husband beside me? My children? My family and my wonderful friends? What about my God? Does he get to come, too? I have a hunch that the answer is, sadly, no. Keep focus on what is real and what really matters. The rest will be destroyed. Exert energies on what is eternal... people. Find people generally fickle? Adjusting our attitudes and saving our judgments does wonders for our heart condition and ultimately our acceptance of people in general. We are not perfect. In fact, we are quite messy.
I assigned my sixth grades the question "What song would the piper play for you?" I didn't spend any time predicting what kind of responses they would give me. Naturally, some talked about very trivial things... chocolate, no homework, etc. Others, however, were very thoughtful in answering the question... one girl said that she would sit at God's feet and ask him questions. Another wanted to be friends with Queen Ester and described what the two of them would do together in great detail. Others talked about healing relationships in their families and places where people loved each other and love them all the time. I almost wept. Me, too.... me, too.
So, what would the piper's song sing to me? I thought for a short moment. What fun! Suntanned skin year round and blaze orange polish on my toes with warm sand between them... Hair that never needed styled and a PX90 body without the PX90 workout... the sun on my face and a gentle, warm breeze on my back. Health, and hands that work all the time... Never have to eat again... Ooh, this IS fun. I could go on and on. But what is the cost? Do I get to have my husband beside me? My children? My family and my wonderful friends? What about my God? Does he get to come, too? I have a hunch that the answer is, sadly, no. Keep focus on what is real and what really matters. The rest will be destroyed. Exert energies on what is eternal... people. Find people generally fickle? Adjusting our attitudes and saving our judgments does wonders for our heart condition and ultimately our acceptance of people in general. We are not perfect. In fact, we are quite messy.
I assigned my sixth grades the question "What song would the piper play for you?" I didn't spend any time predicting what kind of responses they would give me. Naturally, some talked about very trivial things... chocolate, no homework, etc. Others, however, were very thoughtful in answering the question... one girl said that she would sit at God's feet and ask him questions. Another wanted to be friends with Queen Ester and described what the two of them would do together in great detail. Others talked about healing relationships in their families and places where people loved each other and love them all the time. I almost wept. Me, too.... me, too.
