"And still the path grew rougher and steeper, and the mountain grew wilder... For a little way there was a brown glimmer, but at the first turn it all but ceased, and before she had gone many paces she was in total darkness. Then she began to be frightened indeed."
Frightened indeed. We find ourselves in difficult places, rough terrain,...even darkness. And we get... I get... frightened indeed.
"...as she went farther and farther into the darkness of the great hollow mountain, she kept thinking of her grandmother, and all she had said to her, and how kind she has been, and how beautiful she was, and all about her lovely room, and the fire of roses and the great lamp that sends it's light..."
As I look ahead at the ambiguity of my health, I find myself, like the sweet, darling princess Irene, strangely peaceful. Like her, I am comforted as I remember.
When I begin to feel worried or afraid, all I have to do is think about my Father. I keep thinking about all He has said to me, how kind He is, how beautiful He is and ...like Irene, I remember being with Him, sitting with Him and His Presence.
His word has told me that, "He will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in Him." (Isaiah 26:3) His invitation is to "take His yoke upon me, which is light and easy to carry". And, He reminds me that He offers me to always "come to Him and He will give me rest". (Matt. 11:28-30)
Yesterday, in worship, as I was thinking on Him and His beauty, I had this unexpected wild array of mental images flash through my mind. Memories... Me, at 15 years old... me, at 16 years old, ... me at 18... and so on and so forth. Some of the quick, flashing memories were hard times, some were moments of amazing blessing--- but, as I "watched", I knew all were in Him. He was there in all of them. He has been faithful. He has always been Present.
I am amazingly unafraid. I am wonderfully unworried. What a gift!
Perfect peace. This is what I have available for my soul when I keep my mind on Him and trust Him.
So, like Irene, I walk on into the dark mountain ... not with blind-faith, no!, but with remembering trust. Like a child, I simply look to my loving Father and I remember Him---all He is and all He has done, all He will do!
