as you lay there on the beach, staring up at the sky. The Sun beating down on you like a chicken in the oven. You begin to rise and notice the blisters and dark redness of your skin. You look around and see no one around, just you, the Sun, the waves, a cool breeze and the glimmering sand.
“Where am I?” You begin to wonder as you search about, searching for some shade to reatreat to. You notice a tree off in the distance and begin to make your way. With each step you can feel your leathery skin stretch and pull while the soles of your feet burn in the sand. Your lack of strength begins to trouble you as you lose your footing and fall in the sand. Now your whole body burning from the touch of the thousands of grains of sand, like thousands of fire ants attacking you for harming their nest. Slowly you rise once again, dusting yourself off and slugging on until you reach the tree and delight in its cool shade.
Once under the tree you recline against its trunk, gasping for breath and embracing the occasional cool breeze.
You begin to look around out into the water, and behind to desert searching for any clues as to how you have ended up here. Behind in the desert is nothing but sand and about three trees. Looking off into the water you can notice a few things sticking up from the water. They appear to be wooden, like parts of a ship. You look around seeing if there are any other clues of a shipwreck but there do not appear to be any.
You look around your immediate area to see if there’s anything nearby for food and water. There are a few insects that look chewy, but otherwise far from appetizing. The tree has a coconut, but it is up near its top. After weighing the odds you try to climb up, you begin making some progress up a couple branches, but ended up falling again and again. The pain on your body now shifts from the burning to the pain from all the falling. A few of the blisters on your chest popped with puss mowing oozing out. You grab a leaf to try and stop the puss only to find a few insects nibbling around on it.
At this point you decide to just rest in the shade. Reclining back on to the tree’s trunk. Eventually you begin to fall back to sleep.
What seems like nearly a snap of the finger, you wake up, hoping the nightmare had ended, just to find it continuing with the Sun preparing to set. You do, however, notice the tide has retreated significantly and can now see that you may be able to investigate the possible shipwreck.
As you begin to walk over you notice that the sand has cooled considerably and make it to the water with much greater ease. You make your way into the water, feeling the stinging against the many cuts and open blisters over your body. As you approach the mess, it becomes apparent that it was no boat, rather just drift wood that has found itself stuck in the ground beneath the water.
Now disappointed at the new discovery that fails to answer any questions, you make your way back to your tree.
The Sun sets finally and an even cooler breeze than earlier begins to blow, now instead of burning hot, you are freezing cold.
You begin to hear a sound and everything begins to feel hazy. The sound is familiar, but seems to lack an origin. Your heart begins to pound and the sound with it. Is this the end? What is coming now? In the haze you begin to wonder, look around and get up. Then you look and see a familiar location, darker than you may usually remember, but just as you left it. You get up from your bed, sweat beading down your cheek as you remove your sheets and turn off your dreaded alarm.
The rain pours down from the heavens, It is like the sky is crying for the earth down below, Dry earth needing moisture, the plants withering and drab.
The earthworms now escaping their homes below, the potholes are filled as mini pools for the critters to bath.
But for now the small flying and creeping things hide, as not wanting to be drenched in the pouring rain.
Faintly you hear something that sounds like, “Oh, they will never see it coming!” Coming from the flat above your’s. The voice sounded masculine.
And another voice, “we’ll sneak in through the back and bang! Lights out!” This voice sounded feminine and was followed by a chorus of sound that affirmed this statement.
Instead of continuing to listen to their plan, you panic and dash out your flat, and out the door of the building to alert law enforcement. And as your running you notice a van with a logo that reads, “Barney’s Surprise and Fireworks: for all your excitement needs, “they will never see it coming!”
“Swallow!” Tim looked up and yelled.
Hidden in the bush, Jim, holding his water bottle and with a puzzled face asks, “What? Are you telling me to swallow my water?”
Guilt struck across Tim, face as he saw Jim’s shirt soaked from being startled. “Why did you spit out your water all over yourself?” Asked Tim, “Plus, we are out here looking for birds. And I saw a swallow up in the tree.”
“If watching cartoons has taught me anything, it’s never run into a rake that is laying down.” I said with a chuckle. Will looked at me blankly, then smirked.
“Yeah, and don’t chase a flightless bird off a cliff.” Will said sarcastically. “Anyways… back to it! Tag, you’re it!” Then started running off to the other side of the yard.
“Will watch…” and wam! I said cringing, trying not to laugh, “…out for the rake.”
“Go! Go! It’s gaining on us!”
“I’m going as fast as I can!” Lily said barely able to speak running behind me. “Let’s go into the cave, it’ll be fun. Is this your idea of fun?”
“I didn’t know that thing was going to be in there” I said also barely able to speak, “Some friends said there was a cool cave nearby, and I thought it could make for an exciting date!”
“Well this sure is exciting! Maybe you should’ve brought one of those genius friends of yours instead!”
Surrounded by smiling faces; Some forced, some real; You smile back sharing the graces; Their hands as cold as steel.
Their empty care is as clear as a glass pane They try so hard to behave Yet they do not know another’s pain You may as well exist alone in a cave.
Look around you are not alone! Just ignore the feeling lass Keep looking at your phone, One day their façade will shatter like glass.
Surrounded but feeling solo, What a world that is so hollow.
“I need you to listen to me very carefully. You don’t know me, but I know you.” Were the words I kept hearing in my head as we entered the cave. My father in what he knew of tricks, did not know what it may have meant.
“Be on alert son, have an arrow ready in case a threat shows himself,” he said with his sword ready and torch lighting the way.
I notched an arrow, preparing to let it fly. As we searched I thought about what father and I discussed before we headed on our journey. That we would find ourselves helpless and in fear beyond our worst nightmares. This is certainly one of those times. With the voice in my head saying he knows me, but does not sound familiar at all; and the increasing darkness of the cave. Then I look at father, walking in as though he has no fear at all! If it weren’t for what he told me of his past, I would almost believe he knew no fear at all.
“So father, do you think,” I said trying to seem brave like father, “think it is in here?”
“Well, what do you think? Did you hear the voice before we walked in or when we walked in?”
“When we walked in...”
Father peaked back, “So there might just be your answer. Do not fret son, do you remember why we came?”
“Someone needed help and we have the only thing that can help them?”
“That is right. We started the journey for you to take your next steps in this world we have been born into. Like all of life, it will come with many fears and unexpected challenges. This is one such case of that.”
We continued following the tracks. And as we reached the middle of an intersection they stopped. Father started forward, continuing on the path straight ahead.
“I need you to listen to me very carefully. You don’t know me, but I know you.” Was even louder than before, yet father only heard my cry of discomfort, and not the voice.
“Hold fast my son, for the Spirit we have is stronger than the one that tries to trouble you!” Father said surely, bringing some courage back to my heart.
And as we continued, we reached the end of the deep, dark cave. Before we turned around, footsteps and the sound of a staff hitting the ground began to come upon us.
“I need you to listen to me very carefully. You don’t know me, but I know you,” said an old man appearing from the shadows.
“Father,” I whispered, “this is no scary beast, but is an old man. No, maybe an old warrior?” And as he got closer and the light of the flame began to settle on him more, I added, “And missing an eye. So strange, but a beast?”
“Hush son, stay back!” My father exclaimed, putting himself between the man and I, “Though he appears to be an old man, it is what is inside him, that is the beast we seek.”
“You have a strange smell amongst you two. You do not smell of the condemned as many of those who bow before me do,” the old man said in a twisted and disgusted way. “My dear boy, you have the spirit of everlasting life, or so you think. How do you know what you believe to be true? For I have been given the spirit of knowledge of the world, and all things in the world do I know.”
“Silence you spawn of depravity! Now son!”
And without a second thought, I released my arrow. Yet it was as though the man was made of mist, for it went right through him!
The old man laughed, and said, “Wonderful shot my boy! Unfortunately that is all the time I have for now. I just wanted to give my greetings. Consider what I have asked you my boy. And welcome to Midgard.” He then disappeared like steam into the air. Then behind us the cave wall began to open, and in this new portal a whole new realm was before us.
A couple married of many, many years went to the park where they’ve shared countless memories when they were younger. They found a spot to sit down and have a picnic. They sat down and smiled to one another. The joy in their smiles was as bright as the sun shining up above. Locking eyes, the wife admired her husband’s eyes that are as blue as the clear sky up above, just as the first time she noticed them. The husband likewise admired his wife’s eyes, which where a beautiful green, like the field and leaves all around.
The two of them were well into their years, and their faces surely showed this. They looked as though two slabs of stone, sculpted by many fierce storms. At this point in their lives that does not refer to looking like greek statues. At one point some may argue that could have been true, when the husband was young and strong as an ox, and the wife beautiful like a carefully carved marble statue. But through many years as though they were riverbeds, being weathered away more and more by countless storms, their physical beauty is not what it was.
Their beauty is now found in the little things that even age can hardly change, or if it does, can’t remove what makes it beautiful. They still have their eyes, which are lamps for the body, and their eyes have seen the light which lights the whole body (Matthew 6:22-23). The light is not darkness disguised as light. It radiates forth from their old, weary, weathered faces.
Over their many years, there were many storms they had to get through. Some hurricane seasons that nearly knocked them down. Many earthquakes that shattered their hearts. But their strength was not from themselves individually, not even from one another. What’s kept them afloat and teaming with light that is seen in their eyes is from the Son who it is through, we have the Sun. And someday sooner than when they first sat down at the park they are at today, they will be with the Son who spared them from what could’ve been an eternity in a place as hot as the Sun. Instead they will be at a place that shines with the beautiful, glorious radiance of a clear day’s Sun.
He comes home, good or bad mood with a smile. His family, excited to see him, or at least his children. He sweeps them up at once with a big hug. They tell him all sorts of problems they need his help with. He does his best helping them as they desire and need, given a thanks and smile.
Now he finally goes to his wife. She is worn out from wrangling the children. He moves in for a big hug and kiss. She’s tired and tells him what she now needs done. At this point he’s exhausted too, but managing as much of a smile he can, does the few tasks his wife asked for his help with. In return he is rewarded with a kiss, and a wonderful meal.
Time for bed, he gets the children together, tucking them in with his wife, reading them to sleep. They thank him and tells he and their mother how much they love them. As their going to bed, his wife tells her how she loves him and thanking him for all he does, and he gives her a big kiss goodnight thanking her even more for all she does.