Kids’ Castle
by Oliver Carlos
When I was a little boy, we had a record player and a vast collection of LP albums or records. Those who are young among you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. LP record means long-playing record. It’s the ancestor of the CD or compact disc, which is likewise outdated today. The LP album was a black disc, can be played back-to-back, and it’s as large a plate. In Tagalog, we call it “plaka.”
My Dad collected lots of them and he would play those on weekends. One old song that I would always hear was the BeeGees’ “First of May.” I found that song weird. The first line says, “When I was small and Christmas trees were tall.” It’s about Christmas, but the title was about Labor Day, May 1. I didn’t get the connection.
That song rang in my head once again when I drove with my parents to the site of my grandparents’ old home in UPLB Forestry. In the 1970s, they used to bring me there to play with my cousins. The old house was no longer there, but the surrounding structures still stood. One of which was our favorite play area. It was a tall and winding concrete staircase just outside my grandparents’ house. That staircase built on a slope of a hill, was a shortcut to the jeepney stop of the community.
My cousins and I would imagine the staircase as a castle. We would run up and down it, imagining ourselves as kings, princes, and knights doing swordfights. As little 5-year old kids, that concrete structure really looked gigantic and imposing. We needed giant strides to go up its steps.
But now that I’ve seen that kids’ castle once again as adult, I was surprised that it’s not as humongous as it looked like decades ago. I asked myself, “Did it shrink?” Well, just like the Beegees’ song, the structure remained the same, I just grew big.
In the Bible times, they also had a something like a castle. To be exact, they’re fortified cities. Imagine a city with a thick and high wall around it. There would also be a tall tower that was part of the city wall. The wall and the tower were for military purposes. The tower was used by sentries to detect approaching invaders or threats. They would then relay the warnings to the people below. During such times, the city’s people would all confine themselves inside the city-fortress until trouble has passed. God is often referred to as similar to that tower of refuge. We read in Proverbs 18:10 (TLB):
“The Lord is a strong fortress. The godly run to him and are safe.”
Centuries later, in Europe during the Middle Ages, they also had castles with watch towers. Feudal lords governed communities. These lords took good care of their people. If invaders would be spotted by the sentries on the tower, they would call the people to enter the fortress and a draw bridge would seal them inside the heavy walls. There’s also a moat surrounding the castle for additional protection.
Do feel that you’re in danger? What are the perils that you see coming your way? Run to God in prayer and praise. He will shield you with his strong arms so that no harm can hit you. He will embrace you with his lovingkindness so that you will feel you’re not alone. Just like the ancient fortress, God will be an ever-reliable refuge to those who seek him.
Praise be to God, our ever-present helper! He is an ageless castle that doesn’t shrink, fall down or crumble. If we are in him, how can the worries and stress of this world wilt us down? Great is our God!
