The Night I Was a Paladin

Last Tuesday evening, as I was biking home from school, I found a library book lying on the road. Since the library was close to my home, I decided to take the book back to the library so I could get it back to its rightful owner or its rightful borrower. As I arrived at the library (I'm certain God had a hand in the timing), I overheard a conversation between another cyclist and a security guard. The cyclist didn't have a lock for her bike, and the guard was explaining that, with everything she had to keep her eyes on, she couldn't guarantee that the bike wouldn't get stolen. But I could. I carry two bike locks, which a usually use to make my bike doubly-secure. This time, I used only one lock for my bike, and let the other cyclist borrow the other.

Inside the library, I learned that the library book I'd found on the ground wasn't actually part of our library's system. It actually had belonged to another library, but it wouldn't be in that library's system either. It had been "withdrawn," and there was no way of knowing now who the book currently belonged to.

With my business at the library unsuccessfully concluded, and since the cyclist needed to stay a bit longer, I left instructions with the cyclist to leave the lock locked to the bike rack when she was done with it, and leave the key with the security guard. On my way home from the library, I left a note near where I had found the book, giving my contact information in case the book's owner should come looking for it. I later biked back out to the library to retrieve my lock and key, singing hymns and Disney songs all along the way.

Reflecting on the events of that evening, I realize that I had been on a sort of adventure, and during that adventure, I did many good things that, several months ago, I might have left undone. I'm learning, by observing my own actions, that I'm becoming more and more like a Paladin, and I love that. I'm becoming a better person, and that's really encouraging to me. It's like watching a sapling grow leaves and branches, except that the sapling is me. Watching my life from the outside, I'm proud of how I'm growing and what I'm becoming. I'm even starting to think that maybe I am a Paladin. Maybe I am a valiant, noble, virtuous son of God. I know now that I at least have the potential to be. And if I do, we all do. We all can be virtuous and good, if we decide to be and learn how to. I decided several months ago that I wanted to be a Paladin, and I'm now starting to become one. That tells me something about human potential. It may take a while, but anything is possible.

I'm glad I chose to become a Paladin. I like the change it's making in me.