The Warrior Is A Child

When I was kid, I used to hang out with my piano teacher’s daughter, Trisha. I was in my elementary years and she was in her high school years, yet we were the best of friends. She used to take me to the park and let me swing. She would take me on walks to the end of the street where we would sit and play ‘I Spy.’ She would let me come to her house and eat with her or watch television or listen to music. She was my hero. And to this day I smile when I think about her.

I especially remember one particular day when I went to visit with her up in her room. We were sitting on her bright red (or was it purple?), fluffy carpet listening to records on her record player. She had just gotten a new Twila Paris record and she wanted to make a tape of one the songs. So she got out her tape player and set it up. Since this was before the days of stereos that would directly record, I remember having to sit there in silence while the song was playing. That was hard for me! But I managed to do it, though I’m sure that I probably messed up a time or two.

The funny thing about the whole situation is that I still remember the song that she recorded that day: "The Warrior is a Child," by Twila Paris. That’s the song that’s been in my memory for well over twenty years. At odd points in my life, I’ll start singing the lyrics. The tune lurks around in my head as a permanent fixture. Whenever I listen to my Twila Paris CDs, I make sure that I hear that song first. And I do that because of that day that I spent with Trisha. Isn’t it funny how impressionable we were as children?

As a child, however, I had no idea what that song meant. I couldn’t understand how wonderful it is to always have a friend walking beside me—guiding and protecting me. I couldn’t understand how life could weigh me down to the point that I could do nothing but fall on my knees and cry. I couldn’t understand the pressures that this world places on the adult—the pressure to do so many things and to do all of them well—the pressure to appear unstoppable. I couldn’t understand the importance of my childlike faith. But I was listening to music that told me about it. I was listening to music that I would take with me throughout the rest of my life. It sure is a good thing that Trisha made me listen to Christian music. I’d hate to have "Elvira" as the only permanently ingrained song in my mind and have to attempt to find inspiration from it! :-)

I played "The Warrior is a Child" as soon as I woke up this morning. It’s been in my mind all day. It’s okay to be a child. It’s okay to need a parent's approval. We don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to be an unstoppable warrior. We have only to be ourselves. God wants us to learn to walk and must therefore take away his hand. So, if only the will to walk is there then God is pleased even with our stumbles.

Indeed we are warriors, but we are just as much so children. We are God's. And God loves us. Praise be to God the Father of us all.