Help along the way - Part 2

The fog clears.We find ourselves staring into a bottomless chasm. In the distance we see peaks of ranges yet to be climbed. We collapse, weary, exhausted, discouraged against the mountainside.
 No way to cross, no path down, no way out.  We are helpless and alone!

Night falls, darkness - no light, no warmth only chilly gusts of icy wind and strange, guttural sounds that keep us awake.  We cry out, "Lord, protect me, I'm scared, I need You!" The growls are louder now,  closer - suddenly we hear footsteps, a shout and a thud then a yelping, paws scurrying away.

All is quiet. We are not alone! We fall into a fitful sleep. A loving hand covers us with His robe and His singing quietens our hearts.

We awaken and slowly rise to greet a new day.  Rubbing our eyes we move stiffly to the edge of the cliff  and see what was not there before, a small ledge along the walls of granite.

We hear the Voice.

 We follow.



A breeze, gentle and warm caresses our face as we stumble down the path. It's less steep, less rocky, easier to walk. We enter a small cave behind a large boulder and emerge quickly into a small pasture.

Sheep graze contentedly and cows lounge in the shade of a large stand of trees. Butterflies float from flower to flower, birds sing sweetly.  Fruit trees welcome us will branches heavy with delicious, sweet, fruits of all varieties. Cool, refreshing water flows beside the tress offering relief to a very thirsty traveler. Pillows and blankets lay scattered on the grass in the shade.There's a table by the stream with platters  filled with meat, cheese and bread for us to enjoy.

We  gratefully relax.
 We gather strength for the next leg of our journey.

Rested and refreshed we hear the call of the Shepherd to continue our way Home.

More mountains to climb-

More meadows to rest

but never alone!


Psalm 23

 

 

 



Help along the way? - part 1

Our journey - This walk through time on a path full of surprises. Some roads incredibly joyful while others painful, difficult. We look ahead and see that glow in the distance - our Home.

We step forward, surefooted and confident.

Around us, a beautiful meadow -  lush green grass rippling in the warm, summer breeze,
 flowers of all colors filling the fresh air with their perfume while bobbing their heads in time to the music of the birds flying overhead. Water flows nearby, skipping happily around and over smooth multicolored rocks. Clouds dance in the breeze,  the sky, a brilliant blue.
 Stopping to rest by the stream we reach up and pick a luscious, red apple from a hanging branch nearby and laugh as the juice runs down our chin with the first bite.

A call,
A sweet voice in the distance asks us to follow.

We rise and walk happily toward our Shepherd

 

Leaving the meadow, we round a corner to see a rock strewn road winding back and forth up the side of a hill. Off we go, following the footsteps in the dust. We walk for hours finding the path steeper, harder. We climb on and around boulders, duck under jagged pieces  of granite and slide on slopes of shale.

The wind turns cold and gusts push us back down the path. We teeter on the edge of sheer drop-offs. The fog rolls in. It's difficult to see. We are cold, hungry and exhausted. We grope along the wall of the mountain, our hands cut and bleeding from sharp edges. We fall to our knees, crawling, crying out for help, reaching out blindly in front of us.