{"id":4713,"date":"2020-04-25T07:13:38","date_gmt":"2020-04-25T11:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=4713"},"modified":"2020-04-24T13:00:33","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T17:00:33","slug":"walking-in-darkness-and-searching-for-light-we-have-hope-that-the-light-will-shine-even-when-we-see-darkness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=4713","title":{"rendered":"Forest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Me:\u00a0 I see you are walking in the forest.<\/p>\n

Prodigal:\u00a0 Yes, it has been nice.<\/p>\n

Me:\u00a0 Yes, sometimes that is a nice walk.<\/p>\n

It has turned dark now.\u00a0 The outline of the trees look threatening where once they had a calming effect.\u00a0 I have been in the forest too long now.\u00a0 I never thought it would take this long.\u00a0 I never thought that the forest could get this dark.\u00a0 I know the sun is out there, and will return, but how is that comfort when the darkness is overwhelming?<\/p>\n

I started the path in the forest.\u00a0 It seemed simple. It seemed short.\u00a0 I knew it might take a while, but I had been on other journey’s.\u00a0 I had made it, and gained strength.\u00a0 So this journey should be shorter.\u00a0 I had skills going in.\u00a0 I didn’t realize that my skills could barely touch the overwhelming darkness that lasted too long.<\/p>\n

I was hesitant at first.\u00a0 I will not lie.\u00a0 I had been on several journeys, and I was a little weary.\u00a0 I did not want to start another journey so soon.\u00a0 I was afraid of what it would take out of me.<\/p>\n

I did not realize how right I was.\u00a0 How much it would take out of me.\u00a0 In the darkness you are left with nothing.\u00a0 With nothing you have to face yourself.\u00a0 There are no distractions in the darkness.\u00a0 The distractions mean nothing after awhile.\u00a0 You are left with not being able to avoid what is all around you.<\/p>\n

I started the path, and the light was still there.\u00a0 I could see patches of darkness in the forest, but somehow I thought they could be avoided.\u00a0 Then I realized that the path took me straight to the depth of the darkness.<\/p>\n

The darkness seems to take over at times.\u00a0 Was there a time before the darkness.\u00a0 Has the darkness really been here for this long?<\/p>\n

Along the path seemed to point to an opening of light.\u00a0 It seemed to say this was the end.\u00a0 How many times did that happen.\u00a0 Several, to the point it seems foolish to think that the end was there.\u00a0 It was a brief time of less darkness, but I was still in the forest.\u00a0 I was still on this path.<\/p>\n

You know that this darkness in this forest cannot last forever.\u00a0 It is hard to see that though.\u00a0 The darkness plays with time, and hope.\u00a0 You know this path has to end.\u00a0 Will it end to another dark path.\u00a0 How about a path with light.\u00a0 Is that even for me?<\/p>\n

You have questioned over, and over again, why not just leave the path?\u00a0 Being lost is worse than any path in the darkness.\u00a0 Your life turns messy quickly when you have no direction at all.<\/p>\n

So you are in the darkness, knowing that this may be your path for a long time.\u00a0 You know you have to stay on the path.<\/p>\n

As the darkness suffocates you today.\u00a0 As the darkness attempts to even make breathing difficult.\u00a0 You focus on the end of the path, and the light that will surround you completely.\u00a0 You know one day that will happen, and you know one day it will all make up for all the darkness.<\/p>\n

For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word?\u00a0 Who hath marked his word, and heard it?<\/p>\n

Jeremiah 23:18<\/p>\n

Jennifer Van Allen<\/p>\n

www.theprodigalpig.com<\/p>\n

www.faithincounseling.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Me:\u00a0 I see you are walking in the forest. Prodigal:\u00a0 Yes, it has been nice. Me:\u00a0 Yes, sometimes that is a nice walk. It has turned dark now.\u00a0 The outline of the trees look threatening where once they had a calming effect.\u00a0 I have been in the forest too long now.\u00a0 I never thought it … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nForest - The Prodigal Pig<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At times we feel like we are walking in darkness, and we want to see the light. 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