Hi, all! Just a thought.

We have very talented teachers and leaders in our church. One of those ladies, in particular, does a phenomenal job of leading our Vacation Bible School each summer.  Our relatively small congregation comes together as young and old alike to participate in the VBS activities and lessons. One part of those lessons in the last few years has been brought to us in the form of puppet shows. You see three of those characters in this picture.

Those of us who volunteer to lend a hand with the puppets then get to help create the character, voice, or attitude that goes along with that particular person we are portraying, be it a Biblical person or a modern-day news reporter sent to share the News. Those puppets, made of felt and other soft materials, lay dormant and sleeping most other months of the year. They don’t make any noise, they take up very little room, and most folks forget they are tucked away in a Sunday School room down the hall.

But as Bible School activities approach, the scripts are written and put together, and the puppets get revived, dressed, and prepared (sometimes repaired!) for their upcoming roles. Hair is straightened. Wigs are reattached. And we volunteers get to choose the puppet we would like to use.

Even then, those puppets are useless — that is until our hands make them come alive. The puppet only moves because of a hand that moves it. The puppet only speaks because a hand moves its mouth. The puppet only shares a story (is a witness) because of the hand that brings it to life.

Without God the Father, I am useless. Without His hand on my life, guiding my every move, protecting me along the way, I am nothing. It is the Hand of God that brings me to life, gives me the words to speak, the story to share, and the ability to do the things I could never do on my own.

The Great Teacher has written the Script (Scripture) for my life and yours. All we have to do is yield our lifeless selves over to His Hand and let Him do the work through us.

Now, hear me correctly. In no way does God control me as a puppet and force me follow Him. What He does is give me the opportunity to yield my lifeless self unto His control so that I might become useful, speaking the Truth along the way, and witnessing positively for all who will watch and listen.

From one puppet to another, let’s get on with the show!

Just a thought. ’Til later.

Brad Campbell can be reached at mastah.pastah@yahoo.com.