The Lion and The Lamb Pt.7

The Lion and The Lamb Part 7

In that moment I could not comprehend how I could be forgiven from not listening to the Lamb or the dove but looking into the Lamb's eyes there was peace that passed all my understanding. I examined myself to see that I was still covered in the mud that came from the pit that I was just removed. This mud was now starting to dry and crack. It was disgusting to be covered head to toe and I knew that I was needing to cleanse myself.

I got myself off my knees to look around for a clean source of water to get this layer of mud off of me. There seemed to be two or three different little puddles around this swampy area that I found myself in. As far as I could see was marshland, I could see in the distance what seemed to be a river but I realized it would be too far for me to clean off the mud on my skin, I wanted to get it off now.

The dark green grass was mushy under my feet, every step I took cause a sound as if stepping on slimy banana and it felt as if I was standing on a mattress without springs. My gaze locked onto a nearby puddle of water. Now from afar this puddle seemed to look like fresh clean water but once I came near, I noticed that there was a thin layer of water sitting on top of a bed of mud.

I reached down to pick up a handful of water but one thing I didn't notice was that there was a handful of mud also. I splashed the water on my arm crusted with dried mud but it didn't wash any mud off. It seemed to add more, so I tried again on my other arm and it had the same effect. I couldn't understand what was happening, there was water there but it wasn't washing any mud off at all! In my mind I thought I was just taking the water and not the mud that lay underneath it.

Looking back into the puddle, I watched as the mud settled back down to the bottom of the puddle. Once the water cleared, I saw a reflection of myself but the Lamb was standing right next to me.

"I don't understand, " I asked the Lamb, "I thought I could wash this mud off of me with this water?"

"Many people have dug these holes," the Lamb responded, "they took the water from the river and use these puddles to clean themselves."

"I still don't understand?" I asked in confusion.

"No one can clean themselves." the Lamb responded in wisdom, "this is one's attempt to do what only my Father can do."

"How can I get cleaned from this stinking mud on me?" I asked in desperation for an answer.

"Go to the river, walk through it, and you will be cleaned from your mud." the Lamb commanded like that of a loving leader.

Getting up from that muddy puddle, with that dried mud, I felt like I had an extra 10 pounds of weight on my shoulders. In the sogginess of my body I noticed that I was in between two paths, on my right was the pathway that I had been traveling this whole time. On my left, was another pathway, it was at least double the size of my previous path and I could see droves of flocks of goats and sheep going down it. This wide pathway seemed to follow alongside the narrow path for as far as I could see. I then remembered what the Lamb told me so I returned to the narrow path.

The light was bright and the sun was warm on the narrow path and it never faded from this comfort. Every step that I took, my eyes saw past the mud that covered my face. Walking down this path, I watched the Lamb go ahead of me while I took my weighted steps. There was a strange glow that came from the white fleece of the Lamb there in front of me, more and more we went down this narrow pathway the brighter His white coat grew. Every so often my foot would find a rut and I would trip. Falling on my face and constantly apologizing but the Lamb looked at me with a forgiving love.

When the weight of mud seemed to grow heavier and heavier but once I fell, because of the weight, the Lamb came to my side and used His weight to support me as I walked. I still questioned in my mind why the Lamb was doing what He was doing. There were so many mistakes that I made but He still was there, forgiving me, loving me. As we walked down this path, the weight of the mud seemed to be lifted when the Lamb would come beside me. Walking down the path, the river seemed to get closer and closer.

This river glistened in the sun like a beacon of hope and light. In the distance the river was huge in appearance, its length was as far as the eye could see and its width seemed uncrossable. It came to the point to where we had arrived at the edge of the river. The waters of this gigantic river were a clear blue, like that of glass and the sun glistened off surface like that of a mirror reflecting the light of the sun. I gazed in amazement at the depths of the river, the bottom seemed to be endless and bottomless.

“How can we cross this?” I contemplated, “it’s too wide and too deep.”

“Just trust in Me,” the Lamb encouraged me as He started to walk towards the river.

    I watched as the Lamb walked onto the water, He wasn’t sinking into the calm currents of this great river! It was amazing to watch this scarred lamb do something like this, I felt a desire to follow Him but I doubted I could do what He was. The Lamb turned around and looked at me with love, I could tell He wanted me to come with Him. So I started to walk into the river and I noticed that I was not floating but I felt a curiosity to keep going, to keep walking, I just kept going deeper.

    The currents got stronger and I could feel myself being pulled in more. I looked up to the Lamb to see Him watching as I was being pulled in more and more. Looking into His eyes, I felt comfort in the Lamb’s eyes.

“Do you believe in Me?” the Lamb asked me, “Do you trust in Me?”

“I do.” I responded in confidence, not knowing what was about to happen.

“Then do not worry,” the Lamb said with a fatherly voice, “just keep walking forward.”

    As the waters came up to my neck. I closed my eyes as the smooth waters engulfed my head. Still walking forward, everything became silent. The only thing I could hear was the water washing onto the shore like that of a seashore. Stopping in my footsteps, I opened my eyes to see that I was standing on dry sand. Looking up I could see the surface of the river with the shimmering of the sun shining through. The atmosphere around me was calm like the moment before a storm. There was peace in that moment but behind me I heard a low growl like that of a lion.