Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Valley of the Shadow


When her newborn breath-less life was
placed into your hands
you ensured that life was breathed into her
When there was no one to speak for her
you gave her a voice

Though she could not walk
you carried her
Though she could not sit alone
she rested in your arms

When her throat tightened
so did yours
When she could not cry
you wept tears like blood

When all but hope had left
yet you never lost hope
There were angels watching over her
but you were more attentive than them all

You were her shadow.

And when her life was being drawn from her
you would have given your life for hers

But there was someone who already had
and He is standing at the entrance
to the Valley of the Shadow

And He says, "You have given her
all you can give
Now I will give her
everything"

So you unlace
her tiny fingers from yours
for the last time
and you wrap them around His

and as He draws her to Himself
He says to you,

"The shadow you see in this Valley
is my shadow
and it is all that stands between
her and the welcoming light
of my Father

"Even as you shadowed her,
how much you felt she was some-
where else! and you were right:
For her whole life
she has been dwelling
in the secret place of the Most High

"And the shadows she has lived in
were Mine as well as yours,
for as you have shadowed her
I have shadowed you

"And now it is in My shadow,
the shadow of the Almighty,
My shadow that she knows
as well as she knows yours,
that she will travel through this Valley

"She is not afraid of the Valley of the Shadow 
for
because of you
she is not afraid of shadows.”

- for K -
January 30, 2010

1 comment:

  1. beautiful - reading this broke the dam of tears that i needed to cry this afternoon.

    i love that i can look at the shadow as His...

    ReplyDelete

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