Marisol's Journey

Following is a story that has been written to accompany a series we did based on Brian McLaren's book, "Finding our Way Again." He discusses 7 ancient spiritual practices, and so did we. The practices are prayer, sabbath, observing seasons, the feast, giving, journeying, and fasting, respectively.

Marisol’s Journey: The Beginning
Once upon a time, there was a little bird who loved to go to Sunday School. Her Sunday School teacher always brought birdseed cookies that the little birds could have when they guessed the right answers to her questions. This Sunday, they were studying Matthew 5:48, which says "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." The teacher asked the class, cookie tin in hand, what perfect means. "Practice makes perfect!" said the little bird. Her teacher gave her a cookie.
That same day at lunchtime, she asked her parents how to be perfect. Her parents both chuckled. "Nobody's perfect, honey," said her mom. "Only God is perfect," said her dad. "Now finish up your worm stew so we can put you down for your afternoon nap."
She settled into her nest, unable to sleep while her parents were out catching their dinner. "If Jesus wants to be perfect like God is perfect, but nobody's perfect, how can we obey what Jesus told us to do?" She knew she'd have to do some investigating on her own.
She's a little bird on a mission, a journey to Perfect. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but she prayed that God would help her figure this whole thing out. Then she fell asleep.

Marisol Meets Squirrel
The next day, Marisol went out looking for Perfect, but she had no idea where to go. She was hopping near the base of her nest tree, looking this way and that. Squirrel was darting around, chattering as always. She gathered up all of the courage inside her little-bird-body.
“Squirrel,” said Marisol, frightened and hopeful, “how are you?” Squirrel did not answer her. He chattered away: chatter, chatter, chatter. She cleared her throat. “Squirrel,” she said louder, “where are you going?” Nothing but chatter answered her earnest question.
Marisol was getting very discouraged. She gave up on the small talk. “Squirrel, will you please direct me to perfect?” she asked very loudly.
Squirrel stopped chattering and looked at her. “I do not have time to talk with you right now. I am chattering my prayer. The Bible tells us in I Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing. So I am chattering my prayer in obedience to God’s word.” He went back to his chattering and darted off to the oak stand closeby.
Marisol stared after him, confused and frustrated, she looked at the ground and prayed. “God, please help me get to Perfect. Please help me to be more like you. Amen.” Marisol climbed back into her nest, hoping that tomorrow would be more successful.

Marisol meets Kitty
Marisol continued on her search for Perfect. She was full of confusion, but hopeful that she would find some clues. She stopped to ask Kitty where perfect is. Kitty was curled up in a ball, sunning himself purring loudly. Marisol didn't want to disrupt Kitty, but she needed to ask about the road to Perfect.
Marisol cleared her throat and asked Kitty if he could point her to Perfect. He stopped purring, lifted his head, licked his paw, and looked at her, annoyed. "I can't show you the way anywhere today; it's the Sabbath." Kitty laid his head back down and grudgingly began purring again.
Marisol couldn't remember what day it was, but did not think it was Sunday. "Maybe Kitty is Jewish, and it's Saturday!" Marisol thought to herself. Since she was not sure, however, and she certainly did not want to cause another creature to disobey God's command to keep the Sabbath holy. She turned, embarrassed, and walked away.
"Perfect must be a long way off," thought Marisol, "because so far nobody seems to even know what it is!"

Marisol meets Brown Bear
Marisol's frustration was making it hard to concentrate on her task as she hopped on. She'd talked to her parents, to Squirrel, and to Kitty and none of them had helped her at all to find her way to perfect! She was thinking so hard, and hopping so fast, that she almost hopped smack into Brown Bear.
First she froze, scared. Her parents had warned her to always approach a bear with a greeting or a song or a whistle, rather than startle the bear. Normally, when startled, the bear is immediately defensive. But Marisol wondered if something was wrong with Brown Bear; Brown Bear did not move.
Marisol worried that Brown Bear was sick -- or worse! She hopped around to feel his pulse just above his paw. Her eyes grew big when she didn't feel a pulse. Marisol almost pulled away to get help, but stopped when she felt one strong, single beat. Confused, she waited to see if there was another. She was used to her own very rapid little-bird pulse and this felt very strange to Marisol.
Brown Bear's wrist pulsed again: another strong, single beat. There must have been nearly ten seconds in between! Marisol hopped toward Brown Bear's face. His breaths came slowly and far between, but steadily. Clearly, Brown Bear was very tired!
"Maybe Brown Bear is onto something," Marisol thought. "After running around like this for so long, I am very tired, too." Marisol curled up in the crook of Brown Bear's arm and took a nap, exhausted. "After a nap, I'll wake up even more ready to search!" thought Marisol.

Marisol meets Billy Goat
Marisol awoke from her nap a little disoriented, but refreshed. She looked into Brown Bear's face, told him she'd catch up with him in the spring, and noted that she would have to thank him for being the most helpful creature yet. She hopped out of Brown Bear's elbow, resuming her search for Perfect.
Marisol's search led her next to ask directions from Billy Goat, who was intently chewing something that did not exactly look like food to Marisol. But she was excited to get a fresh start on her search after a brief season of rest. "Excuse me, Mr. Goat," Marisol said with renewed confidence, "will you please point me in the direction of Perfect?" Billy Goat did not look up from his meal.
"I don't know what that is," Billy Goat said between chews. "Why don't you join me and my friends for a little nosh?" Startled, Marisol looked around. Indeed, there were many goats standing around eating leaves off bushes, eating weeds from the ground, and eating clothes off the clothesline of some human's house. Marisol hadn't realized how hungry she was, and was grateful for the company that Billy Goat offered.
Marisol began to look for some seeds on the ground, found many, and ate until she was full. Meanwhile, she chatted with the goats. They discussed football and the weather and the meaning of life and the long road to Perfect. By the time she left the goats, thanking them for their hospitality, she told God that she felt better than she had since the journey began. "Now I'm getting somewhere," she thought to herself, as she hopped happily in a direction that may, or may not, be the right one.

Marisol Meets C. B. Crab
Marisol’s fearful uncertainty had melted into a feeling of excited anticipation, and she looked at each new creature saying, “I wonder what that one has to teach me.” She stopped for a drink of water and ran into a sickly-looking Chesapeake Blue Crab at the same waterhole. “Hello,” Marisol said cheerfully and loudly as she bent down to drink. “I’m Marisol.”
“Hello,” answered the crab quietly as he looked around between gulps of water.
Marisol stopped drinking and looked at C. B. Crab. “Do you know the way to perfect?” she whispered.
He swallowed the water in his mouth and said in a low voice, “not yet, but I think I’ll get there someday.” How exciting to make a new friend on the same journey! But she was a tad confused.
“Why are we whispering?” Marisol asked C.B. Crab. The crab looked from side to side, leaned closer to Marisol, and said, “I’ve just molted my hard shell, and the new one will be soft for a couple of days. I’m extra vulnerable right now, so I don’t want to call the attention of my predators to myself.”
Marisol nodded in understanding, looked around carefully, and asked “Why didn’t you keep the old one?”
“It gets too small; I have to shed the old shell to grow.”
“Oh. Maybe that’s like when I was hatched; I couldn’t fit inside the egg anymore, so I had to give it up and move out.”
“Yes!” said C.B. Crab with an excited whisper. “I gave my hard shell to be used by the beach to be made into sand for the future, just like you gave your egg shell to compost with other material to fertilize the earth! After my shell hardens, I’ll go back to the brackish waters to find my mate.”
“Do you think the brackish waters is where Perfect is?” asked Marisol with excitement.
“I think it’s as close as I’ll get!” answered C. B Crab.
“Do you think I could go with you?” asked Marisol.
“Do you think you could give up a couple of days and wait here with me while I drink the water I need for my shell? Maybe you could scare my predators away.”
“Good thinking, Mr. Crab.”
“Call me Crusty,” said C. B. Crab.
And they became friends, on their search for Perfect.

Marisol Meets Turtle
Marisol and Crusty had travelled almost the whole way to the brackish waters chatting about giving and growing. Marisol enjoyed the company, but she knew she would have to part ways with Crusty. As Crusty stepped into the water, he said “Strength for the journey, my friend!”
Marisol felt a little sad, but she was excited to be near the water. It was much different from her home: instead of many dense groves of tall trees, low shrubs were all around her. She looked at the muddy bank, praying that God would help her to decide which way to go next.
She saw a young turtle to her left, and walked toward her. “Hello,” she said boldly to the turtle, “will you please point me in the direction of Perfect?” Turtle walked slowly and deliberately toward Marisol.
“Well, I’ve just finished what I need to do here, and must be going, but you’re welcome to walk me to the water and we can talk,” Turtle said. Marisol looked confused, since they were only several feet from the water. Marisol didn’t want to hurt Turtle’s feelings, though, so she agreed to do so.
Turtle asked Marisol about her journey. It soon occurred to Marisol that this conversation could be quite long, since she made only a couple of tiny hops per minute keeping in pace with Turtle. Marisol told Turtle about her Sunday school teacher who taught her that we are to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. She talked about how her parents do not understand at all, since they told her that there was no such thing as perfect, and that her search began after speaking with them.
Marisol talked about Squirrel who was too busy chattering his prayers to talk with her, Kitty observing Sabbath, the time she spent resting with Brown Bear, her pleasant meal with Billy Goat, and her learning about giving from C. B. Crab, also known as “Crusty.” Turtle thought for a minute then said, “Sounds to me like you’ve had an adventuresome journey! Have you enjoyed it?”
Marisol was surprised by the question, and more surprised by her answer. “Yes, I have!”
“Good!” Turtle said. “Don’t get too frustrated. Just keep on hopping, open to the experience. You’ll know when you get there.” Turtle dove into the water and snorted her goodbye through her nostrils, which were the only part of Turtle that Marisol could see.
Marisol watched after Turtle for awhile, knowing deep in her heart that Turtle was right.

Marisol meets Camel
Marisol was so excited: her Sunday school was taking a field trip to the Holy Land to visit Jordan. She knew she must be getting closer to Perfect, since the Holy Land was where Jesus lived when he was on the earth.
Upon her arrival, she was ecstatic to find so many animals to help her find her way. She ran up to the first one she saw, who was a one-humped Arabian camel.
“Excuse me, Camel?” Marisol asked, hoping that this camel who lived so far from her home in Virginia would understand her bird-language.
“Hello,” Camel said. “Do you need a ride to your hotel?”
“Um,” Marisol hadn’t thought ahead that far, “I’m trying to get to Perfect. How much would that cost?” she asked him.
“15 Dinar,” answered Camel. Marisol wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but she figured she’d stop at the ATM when she stopps for some bird seed on the way.
She hopped onto Camel’s back, a little nervous because she’d never ridden a camel before. But it was easy.
“Will you please stop for some food?” Marisol asked. Camel nodded yes. After they got some birdseed and Jordanian Dinar at the drive-through, she asked him to stop at the water hole. She drank and drank, and ate her bird seed. “Aren’t you thirsty?” Marisol asked Camel as he lay near by, waiting patiently.
“No, I drank yesterday,” said Camel. “I’ve had enough for the week.”
“You only drink water once per week?” Marisol asked, baffled.
“Yes, God created my body to absorb water very slowly, so that one big drink can last several days. I could drink more now, but I don’t need it. I’ll save it for animals that need more water, like you.”
Marisol was touched. She realized that she’d had enough. She decided to save the seed for other birds, and the water for other animals.
Camel and Marisol continued on their way, until Camel stopped behind some taxis and other camels and announced that they had arrived. Marisol was not convinced that Perfect was located inside this three-star hotel, but this was where her classmates were, so she would see what was inside. She knew she wasn’t there yet, but she felt a little closer to Perfect.

Marisol Meets Burro
Marisol was a little shaken up by the different culture she found in Jordan, but had a wonderful time for two weeks touring the places she had read about with her Sunday school class like the Dead Sea, Mount Nebo, and the Jordan River where Jesus had been baptized. She was so fascinated by the stories others would tell her about ancient and recent history of the Holy Land. She still had not found perfect, but was getting used to enjoying her search. Near the end of her time in Jordan, she met Burro.
“Excuse me, do you know the way to perfect?” Marisol asked Burro.
“Well,” Burro replied, “I’d have to think back to the stories I’ve heard from my relatives about carrying Jesus. Jesus was perfect, you know, so I reckon the closest I’ve ever been to Perfect is when I’ve listened to the stories about him.”
“What do you mean? You are related to someone who carried him? Like on their back?”
“Why, yes. In fact, a great great great great… aunt of mine made it into the Bible. That story that some call ‘the Triumphal Entry’ we like to call ‘the Dudes who Borrowed the Burro.’”
Marisol was fascinated! “What did she say about it?”
Burro got very serious-looking and thought hard. “She said she was sorry that everyone was raising such a ruckus, because they were so busy carrying on that they missed out on Jesus’ humility. If it’d happened today, it would have looked like a red-carpet welcome for a celebrity you might see on the cover of one of those magazines from the grocery store line. But Jesus himself didn’t need any of that. He would rather have just had everyone walk alongside him, getting to know one another. He knew his life on earth was nearly over, and all he wanted was some time to feel at home with his loved ones.”
Suddenly, Marisol was so homesick, she couldn’t get back to her little nest fast enough. “Thank you, Burro. I think you’re on to something there.” And Marisol headed off, trying to remember where she could feel at home, and praying she’d remember how to get there.

Marisol Finds Perfect Home
After a long, exhausting journey, Marisol hopped toward her tree, where she expected her parents to be waiting for her. She couldn’t remember how long she’d been gone but things had certainly changed since she left. All of the trees were budding. She looked up toward her family’s nest, but couldn’t see it. She began to fear that something bad had happened to her parents, or that they decided to move south without her.
She hopped around the base of the tree chirping her greeting to her parents. When they did not hear her, she got really worried and forgot that she hadn’t yet learned to fly. She jumped up and lifted off the ground as though she’d been flying for years. As she got closer to her nest, with a bird’s-eye view, she saw that there were two perfect eggs in there. She was going to be a big sister! She landed in the nest and looked at the two eggs as her mother flew up to join her.
Marisol was overjoyed to see her mother, who had been wondering how Marisol’s journey was going. “Did you find perfect?” her mother asked with a smile. Marisol looked at her mother, and her father flying in for a landing, and her two unhatched siblings, and began telling them her story.
She told them about Squirrel chattering his prayer so unceasingly that he couldn’t even stop to help her. She told them about Kitty who kept the Sabbath so holy that he couldn’t help her either. She told them about Brown Bear and her season of hibernation, and how she hoped to get back to see Brown Bear in the season when she’s awake. She told them about Billy Goat and his friends who had welcomed her to share their feast, making their visit together extra-special. She told them about Crusty the Chesapeake Blue Crab who gave up his shell in faith that the next creature to inhabit it would use it well while he grew another for himself. She told them about Turtle on his slow-moving journey, who told her she would know when she “got there.”
Marisol stopped for a moment, as a very grown-up thought began forming in her little head. While she continued her story, she felt like the sun was rising.
She told them about Camel and how he didn’t drink or eat more than he needed. “Out in the desert like that, it’s probably important to save the resources for the other animals since they all need each other to survive in the dry hot weather!” Marisol’s mother said.
Marisol told them about her talk with Burro, who was focused on Jesus’ example of humility. “It’s strange to think about our God that way, isn’t it?” asked Marisol’s father. Yes, it is strange. It is strange to think that Jesus’ journey may have been a bit like our own journeys. It is strange to think that he practiced humility and took time to know the people he met along the way.
“Mom, do you think we can take Perfect with us?”
“I’ll bet Perfect might be the place we are trying to get to while we do our best to follow Jesus. No matter what is coming up next,” she glanced at the two eggs in their nest, “we know that we can invite Jesus to be our traveling companion, or even our staying-at-home companion.”
Marisol knew her mother was right, and she was grateful.