Imagine that you are walking in the woods. Deeper and deeper you go. The trees are so thick that the sun barely flickers through the canopy. Close your eyes. Imagine that you are there.
You realize that you are lost. You have no idea which direction to go. And then there are those noises. You hear them just beyond your sight. Raccoons? Deer? Mountain Lions?
This goes on for hours. You are terrified. You can feel your heart beating. The sound of your breathing is adding to your tension. You don't know what to do. You are totally vulnerable.
Then you hear it. A noise for sure.
Louder than the background noise.
Something is there for sure.
You strain to see.
Your heart is racing.
Your bladder in on point.
Every muscle in your body is tense.
Then you see it.
An arm. Then a leg.
It is a person.
Then to your surprise, it is someone that you know.
It is your worst enemy. Your mortal enemy.
At first you feel a sense of loathing. But then, you see the look on their face. They are lost in the woods too. They are petrified. They have been crying. They are glad to see you. And the moment that you see them in their vulnerability, you are glad to see them too.
The woods takes back over. You are both terrified. Clouds cover the sky. The same noises return. But now, it all feels a little different, because I am not alone. My enemy has become my travelling partner. All of the worries and drama that separated us in life, are now completely meaningless.
We wander together for hours. We talk about life. Our families. Our hopes.
Finally we come upon a well worn path and follow it. Each releases a sign of relief. Soon we are back in familiar territory. The incident is over. I am no longer lost in the woods. But, something else has changed too. Along the journey I have lost an enemy, because we walked in this life, side by side, through the darkness.
The past was released. Our vulnerability brought us together. It will never be the same when we meet.
Is there someone that you need to get lost in the woods with? See them as a person. They are trying to make their way in a very dense forest too.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
6 comments:
This is too too scary to even read. Good that you met a new friend and found your way back together. God watches over His own. But to be honest, this too much resembles the kind of story that can end up in the news. When reading this, I was just hoping to get to the end, and find out that you had awakened and it was all a nightmare. Not so. Time for Jeff to get a good book and get back to reading. Now that you've given a new definition to the term "Petrified" forest, here's hoping you meet future new friends in a coffee shop. And besides, I thought you'd been warned of mountain lions out there. They don't take a hike. Neither should you.
The coolest thing happened about 2,000 years ago. The greatest man who ever lived walked down into this dark, tangled woods we call earth to save His staunch enemies from the horrors of that woods. Most amazing of all is the fact that He went through the worst of those horrors Himself so we wouldn't have to. And to think that once I was His enemy.
two roads diverged in a yellow wood ... now stuck in my head
Awesome entry. I needed to read this this morning!
Kara
And furthermore!! Have you forgotten how spooky it was one night last year, just walking from your car to your cabin door in the pitch black nightime, thinking about how they'd warned you about mountain lions? How much more frightening, if this year you had gotten lost in the forest, and had to walk much further, to your cabin, if finding it at all.
I know there's a lesson in this about getting lost in the woods with a presumed enemy, but the lesson is being obscured by the thoughts of what could have happened.
Enough said.
This made me cry . . . not sure why . . . not sure if they are happy or sad tears even . . . strange emotions surfaced . . . not sure what they mean . . .
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