Many things happened to Carter and me beyond Dead Forest in the land of Dearth. Some of those things still haunt me. There is one that broke my heart.
Carter and I had been traveling on foot through some very rugged country when we were surprised and happy to see Guard on the side of the road that we had been looking for. As usual, Guard had some of our favorite food waiting for us. At the end of our visit, a flock of sheep heading west made it impossible for us to continue our journey east until they passed.
Soon after we resumed traveling on the eastern path, we discovered that one of the sheep was following us. He wasn’t quite fully grown, and we tried to take him back to his flock, but he ran away from us until we finally decided to let him tag along. We didn’t have much choice; however, Carter and I actually became very fond of the little sheep, and we even gave him a name, Jessie.
Stroking his thick wool was a comfort to us as we sat around our campfire at night. Traveling during the day on the rocky, chuckhole riddled path, we held onto Jessie’s wool to steady ourselves to keep from turning an ankle or breaking a leg. I began to feel that Jessie had come to us as a help and encouragement, but the truth was that he came to us for something much more important.
The day we met Guard, had lunch, and met Jessie, Guard had cautioned us to stay on the eastern path until we came to the adobe. Traveling the eastern path was dangerous and exhausting, so when we saw a paved side road with a sign that said Adobe Road, Carter insisted that this easy road would take us to the adobe building we were looking for. I wasn’t sure, but I let Carter convince me to go along. I have to admit that it didn’t take much convincing. Adobe Road was smooth and wide and we were so tired from struggling on the eastern path, that it was a welcome relief. But as we traveled Adobe Road I couldn’t help feeling that we were making a mistake. Then when the road began to narrow and deteriorate, I was just about to make my concerns known to Carter when I was interrupted by the terrifying roar of a huge mountain lion! It was perched on a large rock looking right at us. We knew if we ran it would chase us down and kill us, so we stood frozen. However, the beast must have been hungry because it jumped off its rock and charged straight for us. We didn’t know what to do. Then Jessie ran past us directly toward the lion. He distracted it away from us, and the lion grabbed Jessie by the back of the neck, turned, and ran off with the poor little lamb hanging limply from its slobbering mouth.
Carter and I ran as fast as we could back to the eastern path. What else could we do? We couldn’t save Jessie. The little lamb gave his life for our bad choice. If it hadn’t been for him, we would have died. It should have been us—he was innocent. I think somehow Jessie knew that we were going to make a wrong turn, and that’s why he came to be with us. He knew that we needed to be saved from ourselves. I think about that a lot… I’m tired… Good night, everyone.
Carter and I had been traveling on foot through some very rugged country when we were surprised and happy to see Guard on the side of the road that we had been looking for. As usual, Guard had some of our favorite food waiting for us. At the end of our visit, a flock of sheep heading west made it impossible for us to continue our journey east until they passed.
Soon after we resumed traveling on the eastern path, we discovered that one of the sheep was following us. He wasn’t quite fully grown, and we tried to take him back to his flock, but he ran away from us until we finally decided to let him tag along. We didn’t have much choice; however, Carter and I actually became very fond of the little sheep, and we even gave him a name, Jessie.
Stroking his thick wool was a comfort to us as we sat around our campfire at night. Traveling during the day on the rocky, chuckhole riddled path, we held onto Jessie’s wool to steady ourselves to keep from turning an ankle or breaking a leg. I began to feel that Jessie had come to us as a help and encouragement, but the truth was that he came to us for something much more important.
The day we met Guard, had lunch, and met Jessie, Guard had cautioned us to stay on the eastern path until we came to the adobe. Traveling the eastern path was dangerous and exhausting, so when we saw a paved side road with a sign that said Adobe Road, Carter insisted that this easy road would take us to the adobe building we were looking for. I wasn’t sure, but I let Carter convince me to go along. I have to admit that it didn’t take much convincing. Adobe Road was smooth and wide and we were so tired from struggling on the eastern path, that it was a welcome relief. But as we traveled Adobe Road I couldn’t help feeling that we were making a mistake. Then when the road began to narrow and deteriorate, I was just about to make my concerns known to Carter when I was interrupted by the terrifying roar of a huge mountain lion! It was perched on a large rock looking right at us. We knew if we ran it would chase us down and kill us, so we stood frozen. However, the beast must have been hungry because it jumped off its rock and charged straight for us. We didn’t know what to do. Then Jessie ran past us directly toward the lion. He distracted it away from us, and the lion grabbed Jessie by the back of the neck, turned, and ran off with the poor little lamb hanging limply from its slobbering mouth.
Carter and I ran as fast as we could back to the eastern path. What else could we do? We couldn’t save Jessie. The little lamb gave his life for our bad choice. If it hadn’t been for him, we would have died. It should have been us—he was innocent. I think somehow Jessie knew that we were going to make a wrong turn, and that’s why he came to be with us. He knew that we needed to be saved from ourselves. I think about that a lot… I’m tired… Good night, everyone.
What a great lesson you learned, Kat. Sometimes someone who is innocent suffers from our poor choices. I'm so thankful Jesus did for me. Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteI know this says it is from Mr. Groll, but he let me use his account to say thank you, Ms. Johnson. It is a great, though hard, lesson, and I learned it the hard way, seeing someone I love die for my bad choice. I tried to blame Carter for it because he insisted we take that Adobe Road. But I chose to go along. I could have stood my ground and refused. So I know that I have no one else to blame but myself.
ReplyDeleteDear Kat:
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story. The Bible speaks of the straight and narrow path that leads to heaven and eternal life and the easy wide path that leads to death and destruction; you were faced with two similar paths. Thankfully that willing and loving sheep, Jessie, died to save you just as Jesus died to save all of us. The fact that you learned a lesson from your experience is a good thing and it will help you to make better choices in the future.
Your Friend Aileen
Hi Aileen, this is Kat speaking. You are so right. It happens that one of the things I learned over and over again while traveling through Dearth was that my bad choices ended up hurting others as well as myself. I think that is one of the reasons the adversary kept trying to lead us astray. He wanted us to do things that would not only make us suffer but would make us instruments of suffering to others.
DeleteKat, your story touched my heart. As my friends have already mentioned the clear parallels to the story of Jesus and his atoning death on our behalf, let me just say that I'm glad you and Carter didn't let Jessie's sacrifice be in vain but instead made it back to the eastern road.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words, Traci. This is Kat speaking again. After what happened to Jessie, we tried even harder to do the right thing, but we still messed up sometimes. I think we are getting better at making right choices, but I don’t think we’ll ever get it perfect.
DeleteHello Kat,
ReplyDeleteI understand your saddness of your furry friend's sacrifice, but realizing and admitting you made a bad choice was the best step taken towards finding your way back to the right path. Kat, sometimes the choices are tough and confusing, but keeping your eye on Jessie's gift to you will always lead you correctly.
Thank you Ms. Goodhew for the supportive words. I appreciate everyone's input. It helps to know that others are listening and care about what I have been through. I think you help others too by the wisdom you share.
DeleteIt can be sad when we make wrong choices. What is important is that we learn from them, move on, and try to not make them again.
ReplyDelete