Thank you, God, for the Strong Rope of Promise!

Here's a story I once read or heard somewhere. I've probably got it mangled, 'cause I can't tell a joke for the life of me, but this is what came to mind: A man, lost in thought, was walking along a cliff above a rocky shore one day. He was so lost in his thoughts that he wasn't watching where he was going and stepped into a deep and wide crack that split the cliff into two. Sliding down towards the huge boulders that lay scattered underneath the cliff face, he managed to grab a thick vine growing over the edge, but he couldn't find a place to dig in with his heels and his toes so that he could climb out of the crack as the dirt crumbled under them. Desperate and clinging to that vine with both hands,  he began to cry out for help. Then a voice answered and said to hang on, that he'd be right back after he ran for a rope. 

When the person got back, he began to lower a rope over the cliff telling the man who had fallen into the crack to let go of the vine, grab the rope and he would pull him to safety, but the man hanging there, desperate with fear, couldn't let go of the vine. After a few minutes, the man above rolled up the rope and the man below, cried out, "What are you doing, where are you going, and why are you taking away my rope?" And the man above shouted down to man in the crack, "I can't help you, because you won't let go of the vine." 

I understand that man's fear of letting go of the vine. I have a real fear of heights. There is one particular high curving bridge with low sides that we need to drive over to get to the highway home from a town east of us that gives me the willies every time we go over it. I try not to think about the possibility of sailing over those low sides off into the wild blue yonder and squish that fear as the driver carefully makes his/her way around that curve as quick as they can. Thankfully, last weekend, we didn't have to come home that way, but knowing about the financial cliff we are experiencing at the moment -- no car and medical bills -- God showed me his love last Saturday as I was returning a too small shirt to a store in a borrowed car. Boy, was I excited when I saw that and I had to take a photo to share. Do you see it too? 

Life is really hard at times and it's wonderful when you've got promises to cling to. I was reminded of that yesterday when I was going through my Documented Faith-book of a quote of Stephanie's I had written down a while back. 

"No Matter What: Everything Will Be Okay!" ~ Stephanie Ackerman. 

I have to take my eyes off my troubles and look up at him as I get down on my knees in my prayer closet with this verse in mind --  

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen [Jesus and his rope]. For what is seen is temporary [financial cliff], but what is unseen is eternal." ~ 2 Corinthians 4:18. 

God, thank you for a visual reminder of your loving presence in my life!  Thank you for a strong rope I can grab hold of every time I need it! 

Light of a Clear Blue Morning
Dolly Parton

It's been a long dark night
And I've been a waiting for the morning
It's been a long hard fight
But I see a brand new day a dawning
I've been looking for the sunshine
Cause I ain't seen it in so long
But everything's gonna work out just fine
Everything's gonna be alright
That's been all wrong.
Cause I can see the light of a clear blue morning
I can see the light of a brand new day
I can see the light of a clear blue morning
And everything's gonna be all right
It's gonna be okay.
It's been a long, long time
Since I've known the taste of freedom
And those clinging vines
That had me bound, well I don't need 'em
Cause I am strong and I can prove it
And I got my dreams to see me through
It's just a mountain, I can move it
And with FAITH enough there's nothing I can't do
And I can see the light of a clear blue morning
And I can see the light of a brand new day
I can see the light of a clear blue morning
And everything's gonna be all right,
It's gonna be okay.
I can see the light of a clear blue morning
I can see the light of a brand new day
Yes, I can see the light of a clear blue morning
Everything's gonna be all right
It's gonna be okay
Cause I can see the light of a clear blue morning
I can see the light of a brand new day
And I can see the light of a clear blue morning
Everything's gonna be all right
It's gonna be okay.
I can see the light
It's gonna be all right
I can see the light
It's gonna be all right.