A TESTIMONY

Once upon a time, there was a girl who could fly.
Oh, how she longed to sing and soar through the air!
Her laughter and love, undeniable.
Nothing to stop her.
No worries.
No cares.

Once she met a serpent¹ who said
I have a better game to play.
He snatched her away from herself
And she began to live life his way.

GET OUT!
said her heart.
I can’t!
replied her mind.
So… she didn’t even try.
GO NOW!
Her heart demanded with great urgency.
But she wouldn’t.
She just couldn’t.
Questioning how?
But never why.

She sat there. Unable to stand.
Slumped over.
All alone.
Then she crumbled onto the floor
where she piled up
for years and years
all on her own.

And she stayed
where she was
in the corner
of the room
where darkness prevailed
creating her own doom.

Her eyes, closed as they were,
faced the sinking floor.
Settling for nothing
Yet yearning and aching for more.
After all, the serpent assured her,
Surely you couldn’t leave
even if you tried.
Surely she wouldn’t bother.
So there she was,
kept frozen right there
yet back in time.

Day by day
Getting smaller.
Night after night,
Weaker still.
The days become nights
Getting darker and longer.
The hole, deeper.
Steeper and steeper, the hill.

Any and all hope for love,
impossible.
All the light,
put out with the slam of a door.
She hears the jangling of keys,
the turn of the lock,
now lifeless, she lies on the floor
thinking about how…

Once, she was a girl who could fly.
Oh, how she longed to sing and soar through the air!
Only now she’s down on her knees,
laughter and love deprived.
In the darkness, she whispers,
God, whoever you are, are you real?
Is it true? Are you there?
I’ve lost my way, and I need help.
I’ve tried this and that.
I’ve listened to so and so.
But nothing is working.
I’m sick of being stuck.
Please, can you help me?
Will you? Let me know.

Just then…
The earth began to shake.
Just then…
A flash of light.
And thunder, a roar.
What happened next?
It’s quite unbelievable.
Let’s just say…
Her heart began to soar.

Broken, the chains upon her wrists.
Healed, the lameness of her feet.
Her ears, they began to hear,
Her eyes, at last, could see.
A light, it shone from out of the darkness.
Her burden lifted.
Goodbye, Shame. Farewell, Debt.
With such great love, God, how He loved her
Though she hadn’t met Him yet.

This girl,
she began to sing His praises.
This girl that God enabled to fly,
she now travels everywhere
telling the world that God is real!
He wants to bring you to life!

So if you’re in the dark or have gone under,
if you’re out to sea or feel all alone,
if you’re stuck beneath a mountain or lost in the forest,
or perhaps just feel like life’s a bummer
or you have no place to call home,
if you’ve tried everything and nothing is working,
if you’re barely surviving and
what remains is just one whispered late-night call,
reach out to God
or whatever you want to call Him
and you will find that
Love is possible
after all.

1. SERPENTS are often in one’s own head… ↩︎