Walk the Plant!

The other day, my 10 year old was working on a homework project on pirates. He was supposed to create a "Wanted" poster for an imaginary pirate, and he had to draw the pirate, explain why the pirate was wanted, give the pirate's description, and indicate the reward for the pirate's capture. He named his fierce looking pirate "Blue Beard"--he had a carolina-blue long mustache made of yarn and a lopsided eye patch. He was one intimidating pirate!

I had to be gone the night before the project was due, so I asked my husband just to make sure our son finished the poster and got it ready to take to school the next morning. Well, I will refrain from making any editorial comments on husbands helping with homework, but while my son completed the poster, I found a couple of "minor" spelling errors. Here was my favorite: in describing Blue Beard's wretched crimes, my son had written in bold letters, "Captured 4 British ships and made the crews walk the plant!" O NO, that is horrible: the dreaded "Walk the plant!"

Can't you just see it? Blue Beard strutting onto those ships, facing the quaking crews, and with a surly snarl, "Okay, you squabs! No mercy here--time to walk the plant!" And then the bewildered crews look at each other, shrug, and go pick up some straggly green plants and start walking around the deck with them. Pretty horrific stuff, eh? Well, after a little chuckle with my son, he replaced that "t" with a "k," and we were back in pirate business--now those crews would be facing much tougher odds--they would be walking the plank off into the depths of the ocean rather than walking the plants around the decks of their ships.

What a difference one little letter made in a word! Boy, I'll bet those pirates would much prefer walking the plant with a "t" rather than walking the plank with a "k." I couldn't help but be reminded of one of my very favorite hymns: "A Mighty Fortress is our God" by Martin Luther. In case anyone is reading this, I want that sung at my funeral! Okay, a bit off the point, sorry. But I love the 3rd and 4th stanzas:

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth; Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.

"One little word shall fell him." I'm not absolutely positive what that specific word is--it could be "Jesus" or "Faith" or "Calvary." But to me it must refer to the Lord Jesus. The Son has defeated the powers of sin and death forever. Praise His name! One little word has made, quite literally, all the difference. I thought about what an enormous difference one letter can make: "sin" or "Son." Our human condition that dooms us for eternity: sin"--but change the "i" to an "o" and the solution that saves us for eternity: "Son." Gone is the penalty of shame, guilt, condemnation, despair, and hell. Instead, the Lord Jesus gives us abundant life, hope, joy, peace, love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and heaven. What a difference! Kind of makes those pirates' vastly different fates of walking the plant rather than walking the plank, pale in comparison, doesn't it?!

So today, thank You Lord for changing absolutely everything with the sacrifice of Your "Son" for our "sin." One little letter makes all the difference. To God, to the glorious, righteous, wonderful Son, be all the glory!