Pythons, Koalas and Crocs, Oh My!

In the book "Hinds Feet on High Places" there is a little girl named Much Afraid. She is crippled and weak and has horrific and innumerable relatives-- to name some of them, there are "Bitterness", "Anger", "Temptation", etc.. In the book, Much Afraid decides to run away from her family and follow the Good Shepherd to the High Places. Early on in her journey with Him, He says to her something to the effect of: "Much Afraid, I must leave you now, and make a place for you on the High Places. I will not be far away- if you call, I will be here. I have chosen two companions for you to show you the way to the high places. You must hold their hands the whole way- do not let go." Thinking the Good Shepherd had prepared her kind, happy friends to show her the way, she was sadly surprised when their names were "Sorrow and Suffering." She questioned His wisdom in His choice, and He told her they were the only ones who could show her the way and make her ready for the High Places...

As the book draws on, there is a part in her journey where her relatives attempt to ambush her to bring her back home. Bitterness shows his face from the rock he was hiding behind, and tells Much Afraid that the journey was pointless, the Good Shepherd had left her and was never coming back because she was worthless, and her only hope was to come home to them. More of her relatives show up and call her over to them, and eventually she leaves her companions Suffering and Sorrow on the side of the road to go to them. They quickly turn on her and try to capture her to bring her back by force, and she gets so smothered that all she could get out is this call for help: "Good Shepherd, help me now, make haste and do not tarry!" Instantly He is there, and with one swing of His staff, Anger and Bitterness and Temptation and Discontentment all scattered. He then turns to Much Afraid and asks: "Dear little Much Afraid...why did you let go of their hands?"

There was a vicious thunderstorm last night. It's the "rainy season" here, so we get them rather frequently, but they are no less awe striking when they hit! So (and I must admit that over this last week I have grown rather tired from being constantly and actively interacting with groups of people), I was looking for a place to be alone when it started pouring, and I came to an alley on our base with a gate at the end of it.

I must point out now that the Lord doesn't often speak to me in the way that just about EVERYONE has been hearing from Him this past week- as in through sudden mental pictures or words or visions. I have not felt left out per say, but I had become acutely aware that I had not been fully participating in all the activities where we were told to "practice hearing God," only because those exercises almost always took place in a closed room with other people. I do not believe God is limited as to how He can speak to us, but I had nonetheless not experienced any sudden visions or voices in my head, and I was not about to fake it! It bothered me less because I have known for some time that the Lord most frequently speaks to me through small beauties or oddities in nature, when I am alone, outside.

So, jump back to the alleyway. I walked down it with the wind rushing through the palm trees and the rain beating the metal roof next to me. I stood at the end of the way with my hands on the bars of the gate and looked out across the street into a forested area-- suddenly a large, white bird flew directly across my line of vision and landed in the tree straight across from me. It landed, moved its feet around a tad, and began to stare at me. I smiled and started to sing, as I often feel closest to Christ when using my voice to sing His praises reclusively. The bird stared at me for almost the entire 45 minutes I sang to Him, joined by several other singing birds-- odd that they would sing with me in such a harsh rainstorm, hey? It was a blessed time for me. I was there, I was alone (though interrupted 4 times - distractions are frequent when you're with Jesus, I find - and Jesus was with me. We were there together, and we were joyful together, me for being His, and He for having me. I was reminded of times in my life that I rejected help from family and friends and Christ and acted on my own behalf because I thought I knew best- I was struggling through the storm, never finding rest. Last night, I found refuge within the storm, finding it as the most refreshing time of the entire week. I saw my own foolishness and, like so many others, have wondered in the past why my Beloved "let me" stray from the flock. I used to call out to Him in times of absolute desperation and use the words "Good Shepherd, come to my now, make haste and do not tarry, I cannot continue." Always, after being comforted, I was confronted with the words "My dear little Much Afraid, why did you let go of My hand?"

"I am my Beloved's and His desire is towards me." Song of Solomon 7:10

Random fact of the post:

We went to the Billabong Wildlife Sanctuary today! I absolutely adore animals, so it was pretty special for me. I held a python and it licked my bottom lip. Pretty great, eh? I also held a koala- totally worth the 18 bucks. Kangaroos and crocodiles and birds and butterflies were everywhere. I have a sneaking suspicion the crock show ended early due to the animal ripping the bamboo stick out of the trainers hand and devouring it in the water. It was all absolutely beautiful. Thank you as always for your prayers!