Forever

"because I realized he'd made this pathway that I now was walking on."

I WALKED A NARROW PATH,
but it split at a CROSS.
I could go forward on my own
or stop and give up all I was.

What seemed like an advantage,
to do things on my own,
led off into the distance
where the future looked like fun.

But though the image pulled me toward it,
another kept me there,
blood drops shaped like footprints
which led upward to the left.

There, I couldn’t see much further
than the rocky path’s sharp bend,
but somehow, I knew in waiting
that way would turn out better.

I stood a moment longer
then followed with my heart
and found just one step higher
I could see what lower I could not.

A man stood in the pathway,
his robe gleaming white,
the only evidence he’d suffered
where nails had pierced his palms.

Until he motioned me much closer,
and I saw them in his feet
and wondered why he’d stay
so close so something he must hate.

Another step changed me
from my uncertain thoughts
because I realized he’d made this pathway
that I now was walking on.

Even greater, the one I’d turned from
became murky as it went,
and only when I was near him,
could I see what might have been.

“Will you follow?” he asked in my ear,
and I glanced up at his face,
and my heartbeat skipped, I nodded,
and he held out his hand.

I gazed at it for a moment,
in wonder he would stay
and walk right there beside me
when I’d failed so many ways.

“It doesn’t matter any longer,”
he spoke again to me.
“It’s forgiven. Let’s go forward,
meet your Father and family.”

My eyes turned toward the pathway,
where the bend blocked the view,
and a voice close behind me called out,
“Hey! Can I come too?”

He motioned to the other,
who’d also chose this narrow path,
and together, we headed upward,
each step greater than the next.

Until at last, we reached what turned out
to be not just a bend
but an entirely new direction,
where forever we’d be with him.

“I will not abandon you and leave you as orphans; I will come back to you.” (John 14:18 Remedy)

Image by mdr from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com