I arrived at Sisters of Mercy for a day of solitude to embrace God’s presence. There was no agenda. I was there to meditate on His Word, listen for His voice.
My mind was expectant, at bliss, as I ventured down a path towards the Ten Stations of the Cross.
I didn’t expect to meet FEAR.
Crossing a small wooden bridge, I walked down a narrow path surrounded by wild vegetation, covered by a canopy of trees. Intermittently, there were small white statues depicting Jesus’ journey to the cross.
I prayed God would manifest His presence; give me a sign.
Eyes wide-open, I saw a downy feather clinging to a branch….Abide in Me.
Ears alert, I listened to squirrels playing tag among the trees…Rejoice.
Then a brown tiger-striped cat walked by me like a returning conqueror. The words “Sweet Kitty” stuck in my throat, my stomach lurched. A deflated mouse with a tail limp as a spaghetti noodle dangled from the feline’s lips.
My eyes scanned the sun-dappled path for scurrying mice.
Instead, I encountered a large, black dog. He stood at attention on the other side of the dry creek bed, watched me with steel eyes. There was a field fence dividing the retreat property from nearby homes, but with the thick vegetation, I wasn’t sure which side of the fence he stood.
I hurried pass Christ being nailed to a cross, and glanced back to see if “danger” followed.
When the gravel path curved, I came face to face with Jesus hanging on a cross.
But my eyes were diverted by the same dog standing a few feet away. He was behind the fence, but when the dog barked, I left.
Retracing my steps to the bridge, the cool, green sanctuary took on a Gothic appearance. Branches rustled, dead limbs pointed knobby fingers at me. Winged creatures stared at me.
As I emerged from the trees, the sun’s warmth washed away my goose bumps.
And that still small voice of God spoke: This is a metaphor of your life.
Do you realize you spent more time looking at the things that scare you than the images of Christ?
It’s time you let go of fear, and learned to walk with your eyes on Me.
How could I argue after that surreal experience?
The rest of the day, I asked God to vanquish fear and show me how to trust Him more.
Even when scary, awful, bad things happen.
“For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
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Even In This 
Great job, Karen. Thanks for sharing so openly. I had wondered where you’d disappeared to as I was sitting on the bench. Amazing what that day entailed, eh?!
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I saw you sitting on the bench. You’re lucky I didn’t crawl into your lap when I saw that dog. HA Glad you were able to go there too.
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Wow, what a great analogy, Karen. That sounds like a cool place to go to to have a day of solitude – except for the evil dogs, of course! In our valley, the Catholic church does a hike to the top of a local mountain every year and I think they do the stations of the cross – I’m not sure – I know it involves communion and sounds like a neat hike although I’ve never been on it.
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I hope you get that opportunity to hike up the mountain. This was my first solitude retreat and it surpassed my expectations. However, I’m glad to say we are able to practice solitude and meditation in our hearts and own backyards! God is present and we don’t have to go to the mountaintop to hear Him speak. Blessings
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Yes, I could see in my mind each step you took! My heart even ached for the tiny mouse even though I’m fearful of them. Sometimes the fear overrides the joy until we pull back and see the full picture.
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That’s true, fear does rob us of joy and a clear perception of what’s going on. Lately, I’m learning any negative emotion robs the joy and gives me tunnel vision. Thanks for posting. 🙂
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