*Feature photo by Photography by Andreas
One morning, I awoke in an unfamiliar place. I had gone to sleep on a soft patch of grass and awoke at the bottom of a steep, rocky mountain.
This can’t be real!
My heart raced. My brain was jumbled.
How did I get here?
I tried to turn around, but there was nowhere to go.
Where was my path – with the easy hills and restful valleys?
I didn’t want to go on this hike into the unknown. And I didn’t want to go alone.
I needed my guide.
I just stood there, staring at the mountain top and shaking my head in disbelief.
Eventually, I realized I had no choice. I needed to hike the trail to the top. I had to go over the mountain to continue my journey.
On the first day, I made a little progress – moving one foot in front of the other.
The sky was blue, and the breeze was warm and calm.
I got this. I can make it.
But, instead of getting easier to climb and navigate, the trail grew rockier and steeper, with thorn-covered trees blocking the sun.
My head throbbed, and my body filled with rage.
Why did my life have to change? Why now?
I never agreed to go on this journey, this difficult hike to the mountain top.
I was content with my easy walks on familiar trails. Trails I walked every day. I knew which turns to take and which areas to avoid.
I liked my path because I never got lost.
And my guide was there when I did.
There were others on the trail with me. Sometimes, they stopped to listen to my story, hug me, and share a bit of their journey.
But they couldn’t stay. They had their own hikes to complete, and they couldn’t bring me with them. The journey over this mountain was a solitary one.
Hiking is something we do at our own pace.
There were days I stopped. I couldn’t take another step.
Every muscle and nerve screamed inside me.
I wanted to hold my guide’s hand – my personal handrail that was always there when I started to slip.
But my guide was gone. This hike, this trail, was one I had to walk alone.
The anger changed to an overwhelming sadness that I couldn’t escape. And I cried out in pain.
Those days I found rest under a tree, curled up in a ball on the hard ground.
I didn’t give up. I knew I had to keep going.
After days of rest, I would start hiking again — one foot in front of the other.
Just get to the next level, and it will be better.
The sorrow never left; it just eased up as the days passed.
Eventually, I reached the last level. But it wasn’t a mountain top.
It was familiar, like my old trail, but different.
I had accepted my new reality, and this was my new trail.
My guide? My guide never left me. My guide lives right here – in my heart.
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4 NIV
*This post was inspired by a prompt to write a short story based on a metaphor.
