Saturday 31 July 2021

Hope

Yesterday I had my usual late afternoon/early evening walk. There are several local routes that I can take and this time I chose to go to the local common though common is something of a misnomer as it is a largely wooded area of about 400 acres with paths and tracks that wind through it as well as a couple of  fairly substantial ponds. When I set out the clouds were gathering and by the time I got to the wood the sky was dark and the rain started. The weather echoed my mood. Evil is spreading apparently unchecked throughout the world at the moment, and the latest announcements in England advising pregnant women to get pecked and speculating that university students may not be allowed to lectures next term unless they too have been pecked are too extraordinary to need comment. The latter struck me with particular force as my daughter is about to start her second year at university. What is equally extraordinary is that most people seem quite happy to go along with this. To me it really does show that when you reject God you are easy prey for demonic influence.

So, my mood was sombre. The rain came down and, though the tree cover meant I only got slightly wet, I was still feeling rather damp inside because of the current state of the world. Then a small bird darted across the path and settled on a branch just a few yards from me. As I approached he didn't fly away and I saw that he was a robin. I went nearer and still he stayed on his branch. I thought to myself how fine it would be to be one of those saints like Francis who can talk to the birds because they sense the saint's holiness and have no fear of him at all. I tried a few words. The robin looked at me. I spoke some more. He flew off. Oh well.

I continued my walk through the woods and spoke to God as follows. "I know we should not ask for signs and I know you have given me many graces during the course of my life, many more than I deserve. But the world is in a truly dark place now and there seems to be hardly anyone standing up for truth and goodness. Can you give me a little indication that those of us who are holding out against the current evils are on the right track?" Goodness know what I was expecting. Maybe for the robin to come back and sit on my hand but that didn't happen. In fact, nothing happened so on I walked and within a few minutes came out of the wood and joined the road that led back to town. See the picture below. Just at that moment the sun came back out and the clouds began to clear. That was encouraging but could easily have been coincidence. I was slightly hoping for a rainbow but that would have too much to ask and almost vulgar in its ostentation so I continued on my way. Then I had a sudden impulse to look to my right. There was a road sign just by my side. I was on Christ Church Road. That was good enough for me.






14 comments:

David Earle said...

Wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

William Wildblood said...

I've walked down that road many times but I've never paid attention to what it might be called or noticed that sign before, not consciously anyway.

Anonymous said...

Dear William Wildblood,
Your blog is being read, and your blog is an important voice. The comments sections is not necessarily the best reflection of that interest. Writing goes out to an opaque response. It is ever thus. I sincerely thank you.

Anonymous said...

Second Anonymous in complete agreement. Synlogos links to all of you has been a lifesaver. Federal worker here who angry cried most of last night after wearing a mask in my office again and wondering if I will be forced to have my weekly test in front of an audience as the next step. My synchronicity moment from G-d seems to be The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis, I have noticed references in multiple places. Just reordered the whole set.

"Crying is all right in its way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

The tip of the spear continues to sharpen. I am finding some at work of the same mind and developing friendships that should help us with our decision that we will not submit to this. Retirement could be swift and with a little less in the kitty, but I am in good shape overall. Thinking I might tough it out as long as I can just to avoid easily giving the powers that be another slot to fill with one of their own. We will see.

William Wildblood said...

Thank you both. We are going to need courage in the future months and years but the thing to remember is we are on the right side and one way or another, though not necessarily in this world, we will win.

MagnusStout said...

While my daughters are not in high school, I have pretty much decided that college is off the table. Even if they were to graduate without taking the jabs (note that boosters are inevitable due to ADE around 6 months), most (all?) companies will require jabs. Catch-22.

I was quite sad last year to reflect that they would never travel the world like I have.... We always want better for our children. That world has passed.

Maybe this is odd, but your thoughts reminded of Picard's speech to Guinan in "The Best of Both Worlds, pt. 1" here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=63e5dt5vneg . Previously, they had confronted the Evil and unstoppable cybernetic "Borg," only escaping through the actions of a powerful and mercurial alien named "Q." Picard is moved to reflect upon facing his likely defeat in the battle ahead.

We don't get to choose when we are born. Those with deep spiritual intuition know a storm is coming.... I remember well the terror of going through my first Category-5 hurricane as a child: the waiting is the worst part. This evil is something similar, and is building in intensity. We can only wait and brace for impact. The lead up (to chips/tattoos/whatever) will feel worse than the moment we can simply reject them.

As they say, the Devil has his hour, but God has His Day.

William Wildblood said...

You're right. It is intuition that is telling us what is going on. If we rely only on actual material evidence we could go either way but that is the point. We are being told not to judge by the standards of the world but by spiritual standards. This is why so many people fail to understand what is going on. They have let their spiritual faculties atrophy.

Anonymous said...

Apropos of your post-- I was just struck this morning in receiving an email from my once upon a time (but no more) favorite yoga studio, that they would be resuming classes but only for the vaccinated, as they strive to be "progressive and humanistic." I am still laughing. Sadly. Horrified. But laughing. As I would watching SEAN OF THE DEAD, for instance.

Francis Berger said...

The wonderful thing about reading a post about this kind of experience is we, the readers, are given the opportunity to experience the experience ourselves. Thanks, William!

William Wildblood said...

My pleasure! I do believe that the point of it was to share it which is why I put it here.

JMSmith said...

I once wrote a post on the Orthosphere about what I called "toponymic serendipity," by which I meant a sudden awareness of a deeper significance in a place name. The thought occurred to me while walking on a low ridge near here called Stranger Hill. I was pacing that low ridge in an alienated mood, and this mood prepared me to notice the serendipity of the name. This in turn triggered a chain of connected observations on the ambivalence of our earthly existence.

I also walk after supper, no doubt perspiring a little more freely than you since the evening temperature in Texas is still over ninety degrees. I alternate between two loops, both of which entail crossing a creek, one near its head and the other farther downstream. The new maps call this Bryan Creek but the old maps call it Sewer Creek. When life seems dire, I walk the upper or lower Sewer Creek loop, but when it seems more promising, I use the more pleasant name. I suppose that's the ambivalence of our earthly existence again.

My youngest is still in high school and the threat of mandatory re-masking has put her in a funk. I'm teaching a summer course right now, and it's face-to-face and maskless. I feels really good but I fear we may be back to the muffled horror this fall. I share your sense of gloom and foreboding, which means that I am mostly walking along Sewer Creek these days.

William Wildblood said...

A significant difference between the New Age type of spiritual approach and the Christian one is that the former expects the spiritual path to lead through sunny fields filled with beautiful flowers but the Christian, who is told to take up the cross, knows it is more likely to lead through a sewer. It is the eventual destination that is important.

cae said...

Thank you for this post! I love the way the road sign specifically 'spoke' to the question you prayed, are we "on the right track?" - and The Lord's answer, clearly 'yes' - "Christ Church Road".

This post was very timely for me, as I first read it yesterday after having been deeply troubled by a front page headline in my daily newspaper (and I'm in Florida, USA) "Doctors urge vaccination for pregnant women". So, it felt as if the response to your prayer really was a 'sign' of hope for your readers as well.

Then as I reread it this morning, noting that in prayer, I have a similar hesitancy to ask for 'signs' - I had a sudden realization:

In the Bible, when Jesus is lamenting about the people 'needing signs and wonders', He is specifically referring to those who are looking for 'proof' to believe in His identity as God's Son -
- and it suddenly seemed to me that (especially in these increasingly dark times) maybe it's okay to ask God for just such signs as you experienced...not as evidence for Faith, but as small encouragements or affirmations that we are indeed aligned with His will.

Carol

William Wildblood said...

Thanks Carol. The way I see it is that the indications I was given were things that 'could' have happened anyway. Nothing extraordinary or miraculous or even particularly profound but giving just the needed amount of guidance in a way that wasn't shouted out or irrefutable but was subtle even ordinary. It's as though I was being quietly told to have faith and keep on keeping on but at the same time our trial and difficulties are not removed from us because we have to learn the lessons they bring.

I think it's ok to ask God for help. After all "Ask and it shall be given." He will reply in his own way which will be the best way for us.