Overwhelmed by Wonder

He found himself standing at the base of a wall that stretched out of sight to both the left and the right.  As he slowly looked upward the wall appeared to grow and continue on into the gray overcast sky.  The air was still and silent with no sound of any living thing.

The wall comprised of dark grayish black bricks approximately one foot square made of solid granite.  He reached out his hand and as his fingers contacted the bricks they were cold to his touch and they sat tightly against each other so that no spaces could be seen.  Dark green moss and lichens grew between the slabs and spilled out of the crevices and down the side like a flowing green river.

Where he stood the grasses around his feet grew wild and came up to mid-calf.  The ground contained no traces of any previous human or animal presence.  He felt as if he were standing where no one had stood before.  As his eyes scaled the wall in front of him, he noticed no doors or windows, only the solid impenetrable mass of rock that prevailed before him.

As the moments passed, he thought of the lies he had believed and the wall he had built around his heart and life.  He thought about the choices he had made and the pain this had brought through his cowardliness and despair.  The wall mocked him with a silence that evoked a vision of the prison that he had created and how that kept him from pursuing the dreams he had imagined over the years in his mind and in his heart.

He knew that the truth and life lay beyond and on the other side of the wall; his destiny.  He believed that his future that lay outside the wall was a life of discontentment in a world of darkness.  Every fiber of his being screamed in desire to pursue the truth but his strength just as quickly began to wane with the realization of the futility of his own inability to breach the wall.  His head dropped, his eyes closed in silent despair.  A light breeze gently rustled the grasses around his feet and they brushed against his pant legs, his ears detecting the barely audible sound..

Slowly opening his eyes and lifting his head, he felt the presence before he saw the stranger standing next to him.  Dressed in common well worn clothes of blue jeans, button down shirt and a weathered brown leather jacket, the man portrayed a silent power and confidence, born from wisdom and conflict.  Turning towards the stranger, he found himself staring into the most compassionate face and eyes he had ever seen filled with love.

The stranger smiled warmly and asked in a soft kindhearted voice, “Would you like to go beyond this wall?”

Thoughts of whether he could trust this stranger quickly crossed his mind while his heart screamed he just might. Following his heart for one of the few times in his life he found himself nodding a slow and hesitant yes.  Suddenly he was able to see through the wall and he immediately shielded his eyes from the blinding light that shined outwards so brightly and appeared to be everywhere at once.  As quickly as the light has come it disappeared and before him was only the solid gray darkness of the wall.

Glimpsing the light steeled his resolve and he knew he wanted more than life had offered him up to this point, though he knew not what that was. 

He asked the stranger, “What tool could you use to crush this wall?”

“Myself,” the stranger stated simply with a playful smile.

No hint of arrogance or conceit in the stranger’s voice just a confidence that seemed natural and fitting, born from battles waged and victories won.  This confused him but somehow he felt the truth of the stranger’s simple answer and he longed to see this straightforward statement fulfilled.

As Aragon upon reaching Helm’s Deep, after being feared dead pushed open the doors and strode into King Theodon’s court, in the Lord of the Rings, Return of the King so did the stranger.  The stranger turned to face the wall and raised his arms above his head, hands outstretched to the sky.  Taking one step towards the wall he reached towards the wall placing both hands against the coldness of the bricks, leaning forward with his body pushing into the wall. 

As the stranger leaned his body towards the wall arms extended forward and pushing, solid dark wood doors suddenly appeared swinging inward.  A light spilled out from behind the doors, streams of radiance cascading over the land.  The stranger’s visage shone brilliantly as the light appeared to shine through him casting no shadow on the ground.

The wall slowly began to dissolve into the light with a glowing iridescence.  The gray bricks were being replaced by what appeared to be an almost invisible clear glass that contained no blemish or scars.  Behind the wall a land emerged where colors and form spoke words of truth into his mind, but no sound could be heard.  The streets paved with gold, a shining city appeared from within. Crystal buildings and towers adorned with pearls and jewels stretching upwards to a brilliant blue sky.  The light reflected off the crystal glass streaming rainbows of color in every direction.

His heart leapt for joy, the lies he had believed for so long, like chains, dropped from around his heart.  At long last the truth was before him, the purpose for which he had been created was clear.  He was meant to reflect back the light and love that he had now been shown, sharing that light with others.  He knew he would stand firm in the truth of that light, letting the fears recede and knowing the darkness could not overcome it.

The stranger stood silently watching with a smile upon his face.  Never had he felt so loved, so wanted, so treasured and he ran beyond where the dark wall had stood.  He moved further into the light leaving behind the less of himself and becoming more, completely overwhelmed by wonder!

©Maleko 2012