“Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart.”
– Lloyd Alexander
The above quote is part of the author’s note to the book The Book of Three, the first book in the Chronicles of Prydain. For those of you who have not read the Chronicles of Prydain, the ‘Assistant Pig-Keeper’ is an ordinary boy who has an extraordinary destiny, but he never learns it until the end of the series. The boy often unexpectedly stumbles into adventures. He is an unlikely hero but it is through his experiences that he learns and becomes wiser.
This quote really encouraged me today because I feel so much like an ‘Assistant Pig-Keeper’ these days. I feel like I am called to do a job beyond what I can do. Where I want to be feels far from where I am. I feel woefully inexperienced for the task before me. But I know how the Chronicles of Prydain end; I know what happens to the ‘Assistant Pig-Keeper’. He becomes so much more than we would have ever imagined upon first meeting him. So if an ‘Assistant Pig-Keeper’ can do it, maybe I can too.
Sounds like a very interesting book and series. I should read it. May God continue to grant you wisdom in all you do.