“If
thou hast a fearful thought, share it not with a weakling;
whisper
it to thy saddle-bow and ride forth singing.”
-King
Alfred the Great (Britain, AD 800s)
Many days are harder than others. But what do you do when those days come? Do you rant and rave about all the injustices
fluttering in and out of your life? Do
you retaliate against the plaguing evils by thrashing those closest and dearest
to you merely because they are so? Or do
you bottle it up within, refusing to acknowledge it as a reality of life? Hoping that by not giving it a voice it will
disappear? Now, I do not claim to be one who has suffered immensely for I have
not, nor am I one who has been innocent from the previously described
actions. But it’s those daily doubts
that get to me, chilling me to the bone at times and “making my heart faint
within me” (King David, Middle East, 900s BC).
Gnawing away at the soul until you become a fraction of the confident
person that once existed. But take
heart! You are not the first person, nor
will you be the last, to be trapped under this gloomy life cloud. As a believer, there are so many promises
that NEVER fail to cut to “the joint and marrow” of a situation; these are the
Truths to which we must cling when all around us feels as though crumbling. Like King Alfred said, “…whisper it to thy saddle-bow and ride forth singing;” Our loving,
omnipotent Father hears our every laugh and sigh thus giving us cause to ride
forth singing on whatever trail ahead our path does lie.
Have
I fear that Thou dost know?
Fear
of weakness, fear of failing
(Though
Thy power is all prevailing);
Or
a haunting fear of bringing
Care
to others?
Share
it not with a weakling,
Whisper it to thy saddle-bow,
And ride forth singing.
Many
fears can murmur low,
Fear
of ills the future holdeth
(Though
indeed Thy grace upholdeth),
Dulling
fear and fear sharp-stinging,
Fear
that tortures;
Share
it not with a weakling,
Whisper it to thy saddle-bow,
And ride forth singing.
-Amy
Carmichael (India, 1800s)
TanyaLynn:
USA, 2013
