Across to Life
Today’s entry (August 14) on my Mary Engelbreit calendar is a picture full of meaning. I tried to find it on the Internet so I could share it here, but alas, I could not. So I will have to tell you about it.
A little girl is standing on the edge of a sheer cliff that drops off down below into a lush green valley with hills, a river, and mountains. The side where she stands is completely barren, solid gray.
Her side is connected to a similar cliff not far away. The other side is grassy and covered with roses and three or four other kinds of flowers, some hanging over the edge; children, fairies, and elves wearing funny pointed hats; butterflies and dancing rabbits; ferns, mushrooms, a white picket fence, and tree full of fruit and other goodies.
The girl stands at the entrance to the rickety old rope-and-board bridge that she would have to cross to get to the other side--the full-of-life side. Her hands cover her mouth, and her eyes are wide with fear. Her shoulders are hunched.
At the top of the picture are these words by Grace Hansen: “Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid it will never begin.”
I don’t know how Mary Engelbreit would explain this girl’s predicament, but I am assuming that, like literature, her artwork is open to interpretation, and I may, therefore, do what I want to with it. This is what I think:
The girl stands on the barren, gray, empty side, which represents a life without the love of God. She is afraid to leave this way of life because it is all she knows. But she can look across and see the possibilities over there in a life filled with his love. Maybe she doesn’t realize that the joy and peace there can be hers, even in life’s difficulties. She would have problems there, too, of course, but through them all, she would have a rich and fulfilled sense in her spirit instead of that fear and emptiness she has now.
How can she get across the broken, sagging bridge? All she has to do is take the first step, be willing to leave behind her old ways, and go across in belief . As soon as she asks God to make the bridge to support her as she goes, he will touch it and make it new and strong. And there will be great rejoicing when she reaches the other side.
This image is from http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Engelbreits-Edge-2009-Calendar/dp/0740772813
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