What I Learned From Lemony Snicket

Ok, so I am reading Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. I just finished book nine. These books are quick reading and surprisingly have lots of literary allusions. It's kind of like watching a movie except you are reading it. Each book takes about two or three hours to read. They are very unfortunate, but you keep hoping that something good will happen. If you haven't seen the movie that came out recently or don't know the storyline I'll fill you in. There are three children, Violet,14, the inventor, Klaus,13, the researcher, and Sunny, not yet one, the biter. Their parents were killed in a fire and left the children a large fortune. Count Olaf is trying to capture the children and take the money for himself. Until about two or three books ago the kids kept being farmed out to new gaurdians. Each gaurdian worse than the last and someone always or almost always dies. Right now the kids are running from the police because they have been framed for a murder and lots of other unfortunate events. They are forced to disguise themselves and go with Count Olaf in order to evade the police or certain death. Since the orphans have been on their own they have been forced to fend for themselves. While doing this they resort to some of the same tricks that Olaf has used to try and capture them. The longer they are in the company of Olaf and his crew the more they learn to act like them. As a reader you see the children struggle with what is happening and the dilemma they find themselves in. In order to defeat Olaf and save their lives they are forced to become like him. The only difference is that they do these things for good and he does these things for evil.

As I was thinking about these stories I thought of myself. I often feel like an orphan, alone and lost. There is someone who chases me everywhere I go trying to devour me and use me for his evil purpose. No, I am not schitzophrenic, I am talking about Satan. The only difference between me and the children in this book is that I Have been adopted into a family. MY Father, My Heavenly Father, cares for me and protects me. There is still this sinsiter character following me around to do evil in my life and try to seperate me from the love of my Father, but my Father says Do not be afraid, Be courageous, For will never leave you nor forsake you. The worst thing I can do is fall in company with the enemy. Even if I am trying to find out how to defeat him. You see the Baudelaire orphans found themselves becoming more like Olaf when they were around him and they didn't like it. My Father says set your heart on things above, not on earthly things that only last for a moment. The Baudelaire orphans in these books don't get to choose not to be orphans. You and I, we just have to ask and we are made a part of a family that will never be torn away from us. We just ask and forever we will be safe and cared for by the loving arms of our Savior. And because of that I don't have to worry about any Count Olafs out there. Oh, they're out there all right, and I will probably meet a few along the way but, I don't have to run from them and I certainly don't have to find them before they find me. I am safe and I am loved. That's all I need.