Have you ever had one of those dreams where you are trying to get somewhere (or more often trying to get away from something) but your legs just won't move fast enough? In my dreams I have an urgent need to move or run, but I end up rising up in the air and I can't get any traction on the ground - it is so frustrating! Well, that's about how we feel right now in "real life". Our house is on the market here in France, but no serious offers as of today. We have a home we would love to buy in Conifer, but no cash to buy it until our house sells here. We know we are leaving our responsibilities here, but we don't have any clear confirmation for the next steps there. We've said many good-byes here, but we aren't yet leaving... you get the idea.
Daphne comes up with the best metaphors to describe our journey, and I have to share this one with you. One of Daphne's favorite places in the world is the Drakensberg mountains in South Africa. She used to spend a great deal of time hiking all over this dramatic, rugged mountain range. One of the most difficult and hair-raising challenges is to scale the famous chain ladder with a full pack on your back. You feel like the weight of the pack is going to cause you to fall back into space, and there is a great sense of relief when you reach the top.
Imagine the scene in the picture to the right - climbing the ladder in thick mist. As you climb you feel secure in your knowledge that the ladder is firmly bolted to the cliff face. Suddenly a trapeze comes swinging in out of the mist and you grab it with one hand. You feel you should let go of the ladder and take the swing in both hands... but then what? Swing out into the mist, not knowing where it will end? None of us would willingly or quickly take such an enormous risk, and yet this is where we find ourselves right now - in between, with no firm ground in either direction. For reasons we don't understand, this seems to be exactly where the Lord wants us to be. It is a very uncomfortable place, but we've been here many times before. So we wait, and pray, and try to let go of the ladder.
Daphne comes up with the best metaphors to describe our journey, and I have to share this one with you. One of Daphne's favorite places in the world is the Drakensberg mountains in South Africa. She used to spend a great deal of time hiking all over this dramatic, rugged mountain range. One of the most difficult and hair-raising challenges is to scale the famous chain ladder with a full pack on your back. You feel like the weight of the pack is going to cause you to fall back into space, and there is a great sense of relief when you reach the top. 
Imagine the scene in the picture to the right - climbing the ladder in thick mist. As you climb you feel secure in your knowledge that the ladder is firmly bolted to the cliff face. Suddenly a trapeze comes swinging in out of the mist and you grab it with one hand. You feel you should let go of the ladder and take the swing in both hands... but then what? Swing out into the mist, not knowing where it will end? None of us would willingly or quickly take such an enormous risk, and yet this is where we find ourselves right now - in between, with no firm ground in either direction. For reasons we don't understand, this seems to be exactly where the Lord wants us to be. It is a very uncomfortable place, but we've been here many times before. So we wait, and pray, and try to let go of the ladder.
Hi Jim and Daphne,
ReplyDeleteWe're praying for you guys! Your analogy made me think of an experience we had when Amanda was 4 yrs. old. My bro-in-law took us all repelling off an old bridge. It was the hardest thing in the world to let go of that bridge and trust the rope to hold. Then we strapped Amanda to Brian's back, and he repelled with her on his back. Somewhere I have a picture of her face as they went over. It is a picture of perfect peace. She had total trust in her uncle Brian and no fear at all. What a different experience for her than it was for us! I wish I knew where that picture was! Love you guys, Lollie