Out of the Wilderness: Chapter 3

Happy Friday, my friends! I hope it has been a wonderful week for you and your families, no matter the circumstances. We are not defined by our circumstances, but by how we react to them! 

There are so many people telling us how to be or to think and I don't want to be one of them... not this week :). 

May you seek out the wisdom of God and He will be the one to guide you in all your ways. 

May you all be cloaked with the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. The world may judge you and your responses but we are not of this world! 

Come together this week with your family and enjoy some quiet time together:)))

Hope you will enjoy this third chapter with Hopeless! 

If you are just joining us, please go back and read the previous post to catch up! 

Have fun! 

Chapter 3

The more he talked, the less I understood him. It’s like he spoke in code and I just couldn’t crack it with the tools I had at that moment. I decided to trust him and believe that it all will begin to make sense when the pieces of the puzzle finally come together for me.

 

We went out to a field where heavily trodden paths came together in various formations and patterns. Obstacles lined each path. It looked like a few people had come before me already.

 

“Prophet, have you trained other people before me?”

“Many before you.”

“How many?”

“Too many to count. Not enough that have followed through.”

 

His face became serious and his voice took on a more definitive, crisp tone.

 

“Hopeless, you must be prepared for anything and everything, but remember that nothing is impossible with God. I want you to remember this when the going gets tough. And another tip... It helps to say to yourself and out loud, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Use that verse and you will find strength when you are weak, courage when you are terrified.”

 

“Who is this God you speak of? And who is this Christ?”

 

“Enough, we must begin. Promise me that no matter what happens today, you will not quit.”

 

I became very frightened and wanted to quit that instant, but something held me tight to my resolve. “I promise.”

 

“Alright,” he said. “It is time. You see this path, a clearly outlined track in front of you? You must stay in your lane, Hopeless.”

 

He pushed me across the gold line in the grass that seemed to represent the Starting Point. “Now, you must begin your training! Run! Run, Hopeless, run!”

 

I’ve never felt such confusion that overwhelmed me the instant I stepped into the lane shown to me by the old man. This one seemed brand new. The blades of grass were fresh, unbruised, filled with promise.

 

The path seemed so inviting and alive but something in my spirit felt  held back. I could hear the Prophet scream out in the phantom distance, “Hopeless, keep running! Keep moving no matter what!”

 

It was as if all my movements were rooted in slow motion, my limbs filled with lead and my heart palpitating with dread.

 

I heard the whispers of the shadows come closer and closer, grazing my ears, whispering, “You will never get ahead. You will never be understood. Yes, you are different, but whatever you do will mean nothing. Therefore, your life is worthless. Why this rush? Where do you think you are going?”

 

I almost stopped to ponder these thoughts as I’ve done many countless times during my travailing of the woods.

 

The shouts of the old man brought me back to the task at hand. He screamed out urgently, “Resist them, Hopeless! These are all lies of the Enemy. Resist them and they will flee!”

 

My heart began to burn with fire and courage. I used to hide from these shadows, but they were always so near to me no matter where I went or where I hid. They persisted to torment me, hour upon hour, each and every day.

 

I turned around to face them. Instead of cowering, I found myself running at them! No longer would I accept their power in my life!

 

Suddenly, I found myself sitting on top of a silver horse, in the frontlines of a battle field.

 

I turned around to see behind me and saw hundreds of warriors, some on horses and some on foot, waiting, watching me. Their eyes were full of intent, anticipation and strength. We looked at each other for what seemed a really long time, but must have been thirty seconds at most, as one of the horsemen started and finished his short ride to the right of me.

 

“Mistress, we are awaiting your command! Use your sword to let us all know when you are ready to attack as the enemy is coming closer and closer.”

 

Something inside me snapped into place as I naturally took on the role of the Commander of the Army. I swung my sword high above my head and as it began its descent down to my side, at the gesture of pointing it directly at the enemy, my mouth opened up and a roaring sound came out of the depths of me that I knew not existed.

 

I didn’t have time to ponder the majesty and power of that moment, all I knew was that the moment I let out that sound, the earth quaked and the mountains shook in the distance. A great wind rested above my troops and gave us an influx of energy and bravery as we thundered towards the opposing forces.

 

The dark line in the distance was no longer a solid line but soon transformed into a massive army of the most horrifying and ugly creatures I had ever seen. I’ve seen monsters in the Woods before, but they were never this clear and sharp, as the darkness tended to cover most of their physical attributes.

 

My heart skipped a beat, but I quickly recovered as I remembered the Prophet’s serious tone as he instructed me to keep going no matter what.

 

I was done with Fear. I knew I had to conquer it. This time around, I was going to be victorious!

 

I swung my sword high and brought it down upon the first creature that attempted to bring me down from my saddle and to the ground. I knew it wanted to trample me with its very thick and stumpy legs.

 

It had blood all over its legs. It was clear that I wasn’t its first attempt.

 

The sword began to sing out scriptures that I’ve never heard before. It simply turned alive in the battle!

 

As soon as I made contact with the monster, it turned into a hologram of my disapproving mother, her face filled with disappointment and regret, her mouth whispering, “You are not good. You are not good. You are not good.” Then the hologram shuddered a few times and faded out into nothing.

 

I was shocked at seeing my mother there on the battlefield, although I knew it wasn’t truly my mother. I hadn’t seen my mother in many years. I’d lost her long ago to her stoic religious convictions that separated us. The walls that were built between us were too high and too thick for any meaningful communication to take place, and yet, I still longed for her. I still yearned to hold her close and to understand the little girl inside her.

 

A push to my left side almost knocked me off my horse. I turned to face a disturbing man-like creature with the face of a Joker. He started to laugh at me, his laugh becoming louder and louder, jolting my every cell, every atom in my body.

 

Weakness began to come over me as I listened to his terrible laugh. He began to speak, his voice hoarse, a croaking across the ages, “You are alone, and nobody cares! You are not worth loving. No one will ever understand you. You may as well give up and die, you worthless waste of space! Greatness has never been your portion.”

 

My heart began to hurt a dull pain, with intermitting flashes of searing pain coming through every time that the Joker spat into my face, searing its spit into my flesh.

 

I was so grateful for what happened next as I lacked the strength to fight back on my own. The Wind around me intensified to such a degree that it cocooned me, but like a tornado, it devastated everything outside the eye of the storm. The Joker’s face, enraged, began to transform into countless faces that I’ve seen in my life, some from my secular spheres, others I’ve encountered in my own family, as well as the religious players that seemed to be more important to my people, who I hoped loved me, than me.

 

The creature began to lose its power as it twisted in the powerful Wind, completely turning into a dark grey hologram, and then spiraling into nothing, just a handful of ashes that quickly fell to the ground. The mysterious Wind instantly became still.

 

A hush and a calmness went over the land.

 

I looked up into the sky when I heard a beautiful reciting of the verse I’ve heard since I was a child, but which never rang as true as it did at that moment.

 

The reciting was done by many beautiful and strange creatures, amidst which appeared to be angels of various sizes and rank.

 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

 

I looked down at the tugging of my robe. That was the first time I actually noticed my clothing! A beautiful fuchsia tunic, outlined in gold, draped across my body. It wasn’t long, maybe a little past my knees. My gaze went down to my sandals. They weren’t a specific color, but a multitude of colors, a rainbow of colors, and some others were seen by me for the first time in my life.

 

As my gaze began to rest on my intruder, I almost jumped out of my saddle! It was Joy! What was she doing here?

 

She was holding out a golden cup, telling me to drink. As I drank that liquid gold aromatic potion, the scent of victory and joy, faith and hope began to fill my nostrils and every crevasse in my body. I could taste and smell these feelings and emotions. Life began to course through my spirit and flesh at a greater degree.

 

“You are worthy because He deemed you worthy of the greatest sacrifice. You are loved and will be forever loved,” she quipped, took the cup back and disappeared into the wind.

 

After Joy left, my body refreshed and restored, I began to pay attention more closely to what was happening around me.

 

I became aware of the pained cries and sobbing coming at me from multiple directions. I was in the center of the most thick and active battle I have ever seen or imagined before.

 

While I was so consumed by my own personal battles, I’ve lost track or sight of where I was. I wasn’t alone, but surrounded by many of my own, the people that followed me, and now they were so engrossed in their own personal battles, hardly anyone was free to help anyone else.

 

There was so much suffering. I could smell fresh blood on the ground. The Earth began to moan and groan and cry out, “Children of God, when will you come into the position of authority and identity you were given by God, through Jesus Christ? How long must creation suffer? When will we be free from this bondage?”

 

It was then that something came over me, a power I’ve never felt before began to course through my being, a fire that consumed my fear and selfishness. I was left with nothing but this deep desire to fight on behalf of everyone as far as the eye could see.

 

I jumped down from my horse and set her free. I knew I needed to be on foot, close and personal with many that were thrown off from their horses. Some were on their knees, exhausted, preparing to exhale their last breath.

 

I saw a young man, handsome and strong, quaking at the sight of his enemy, a large, disproportional manlike creature with arms twice the length of its height. The arms were slowly encircling the man, getting ready to squeeze the life out of him. At any other time, I would have been helpless to assist him but the refreshing drink of Life I’ve just received made me feel invincible.

 

 A scripture came to my mind that I began to shout out as I raised my sword, “Nothing is impossible with God! Do not believe the lies, young man! You can fight back! Fight back, NOW! Raise your sword!”

 

I swung mine and cut off one of the arms at the root.

 

The creature’s scream tore through the atmosphere like thunder, “Why do you care about this man? He is weak and useless. He would never help you. Go and worry about your own affairs.”

 

I refused to answer him.

 

It was then that I noticed the arm turn into a snake which began to encircle around me. I had to decide to either save myself or the man, who was too scared to raise his sword. I swung mine, but the distraction of the snake made me miscalculate and I only grazed the second arm. Darkish green liquid began to ooze out from the inflicted wound, and yet, the man was still standing, frozen, paralyzed.

 

I gritted my teeth in frustration. Just my luck, I thought. No good deed goes unpunished.

 

The snake lunged at my face and stopped a few inches away from me, its eyes locked in on mine. It began to speak in a hissing whisper, “Let them all go. No one matters but you. Get off this battlefield. Let them all go to hell. You are too important to die here.”

 

I began to feel very sleepy, very tired and very devoid of emotion. Lack of care and concern descended over me. I made the decision to take the easy way out.

 

I was too tired. Why should I care about others if they don’t even dare to care about me? Anyway, they are too weak and too far gone. What’s the use?

 

It was then that I fell asleep.

Come back next week to find out what happens next! 

Hugs x million!