The Pond

It was before . . .

That she stood

In the middle of the pond
On skeletal ice
With skates on her feet
Afraid to move

She watched as
Someone she had trusted
Left her

She waited
But he didn’t return
So she decided to inch her way back—
Back to safety
Back to land
Despite hearing the sounds
Of ice cracking
Beneath her feet

Then along the way . . .

She met someone else
Someone who
Extended his hand
Who said “Trust me
I will help lead you
Back to safety”
So she took his hand
And trusted
Again

But he wasn’t quite ready to head to land
For he wanted to skate awhile

And so he took her back out
Onto the ice
And although
She could still hear it cracking
Beneath her feet
And was afraid,
She trusted him
Anyway

Then he left her
Without warning
Without word
In the middle of the pond
Alone
And headed back
To the safety of land

And she heard the ice crack
And watched it break
Beneath her feet
Like an ancient mosaic
It shattered
Into thousands of pieces

And she fell

She felt the water
Close in around her
Consuming her nostrils
And squeezing her heart
With its cold
Icy
Fingers
Mocking her
Mocking her choices
And leaving her
Without hope,
Wanting to die

But there would no death
For as soon
As the last bit of light
Disappeared
And the cold
Shelf of ice
Closed in over her head,
Another came along

This One was different

He reached down
And took her hand
He pulled her out—
Out of the icy water
Out of the pond
And back onto the
Safety of land

He placed a crimson robe
Upon her shoulders
And called her His child
He warmed her feet
By His fire
And breathed life
Back into her nostrils

Where there once was pain
There was now
Peace
Where there once was hurt
There was now
Grace
Where there once was despair
There was now
Hope
Where there once was anger
There was now
Forgiveness

And looking up
She saw the face of her Savior

And she knew
He understood—
Understood abandonment
Understood the feeling
Of ice breaking
Beneath His feet
Of slivers being thrust
Through His skin
Of being left alone
To die
For a sin He didn’t commit

It was then
She knew—
Knew that
She could trust Him
Completely

So she placed her hand
Into His
And walked forward
Without looking back
She faced the wind
And closed her eyes
Then took a step
As He led her
Back out—
Out to the pond



“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight”
Proverbs 3:5-6



(The Pond, written by J. N. Hups and dedicated to her beautiful daughter, Samantha, on 12-1-06)