Praying in The Forest

         There was a slight blush on the horizon as the shadows began to fade and the warmth of the sun began to caress the earth. Every living creature in the forest rearranged itself according to its natural rhythm. The nocturnal creatures nestle into their various nests, burrows and caves. Those that embrace the dawn begin to scurry about no longer in fear of the night predators, but still looking out for those that lurk in the day time. In the midst of all this wonder there sits an outsider, a being most definitely not native to this place. With the way the animals ignore its presence you would hardly believe it were truly there. With its pale bloodless face and uncanny sorrowful eyes it almost seems a misty figment of the imagination. What brings it to the shady depths of the forest is not apparent. Its actions are bizarre; it is almost like it gets as close to the earth as possible so that it can water it with its tears. It kneels on its two hairless legs and curls itself forward, its forehead leaning on its paws, which rest on the forest floor interlocked in a strange way. All the while its eyes stream with liquid, the drops falling onto the earth like rain. “Lord,”
The creature keens. “Please give me the strength to face another day in my suffering! Love lost is more than too much to endure alone!” It continues on, muttering indeterminately. Now the creature is explained; she is a grieving soul seeking solace with God among the temple of trees. The forest does not understand such suffering, it cannot reconcile such grief with any experience in its calm life. The forest understands its relationship to God and every entity on the earth and has no reason to grieve or be swamped with confusion. This being so, it seems to watch this utterly pitiful creature with curiosity. It wonders if a new tree will grow from her tears or if her soul will pour out onto the earth and be lead by the angels into heaven. As the wretched creature continues in her grief, the forest can see how utterly trapped she is within her earthly body, she appears chained in box full of nothing but pain and suffering.
         Then, as she continues to pray, for that was what she was doing, the tears slowly stop as if a dam has been erected within her tear ducts, and she begins to shiver and spasm less frequently. She rolls slowly back up to her feet and walks over to a tree and sits with her back against it, her eyes closed no more tears dripping from under her lashes. What is it that is different in her? The forest cannot at first tell. Then after examining every aspect of her countenance and comparing what she was before to what she now has become, it reaches a conclusion. Where before she was little more than a vessel consumed with unbearable pain and confusion and all was black and swirling within her like a tempest upon some dark foreign sea, now though the pain still remains there is also a streak of pure white nestled in her breast and coursing through her veins with every rhythmic beating of her heart. She has been filled with strength to bear what must be bourn and to entrust her future to Him that knows better than all. The forest has seen her change from a forlorn withering thing with puffy swollen eyes and pallid unhealthy skin, to become a thing of beauty that casts the light of the Lord into the world. While not perfect by any means, the affect is profound.  The forest surrounding her knows that she will occasionally lose this strength due to her flawed nature and have to gather it into herself once again like the fragments of a broken mirror by means of prayer and repentance. Though the worst of this woman’s suffering is yet to come now she can stand and live. Maybe, if it be God’s will, her silent utterances will be made true and if it is not the will of the Almighty then her pain will become dormant and she will move on.
         She lifts her body from the ground, and walks out of the forest. Her car is waiting next to the highway in between one place and another. She gets into the driver seat and turns the key. As she compels the vehicle in the direction of her home, she prays some more for the wisdom to live her life according to His plan.