I wondered, “Can I make this climb?
So many doubts in my mind,
Such a distance way behind
If I slipped, it’s the end of the line.”
“Press on,” I heard a voice say,
“There is no easier way.
Trust me each and every day,
I will never let you stray.”
Just then I heard another,
“Too steep a climb, don’t bother.
If you fall you’ll splatter
Then that’ll be another matter.”
“You’ll not find an easier climb.”
That stuck forcibly in my mind
But it didn’t make sense though
When I took another look below.
“Not as far to go as you’ve come,
It’s easier to go up another rung.
Check the distance down below
It’s quite a bit to climb back down.
Keep looking up; don’t look down,
See, here I’ve put another rung,
In me you’ll always be strong
Trust me and you won’t go wrong.”
While I was trying to decide
I heard a voice say, “Woe betide.
The higher you go the harder the fall
Stop right now and heed my call.”
There was urgency in this voice
Rushing me to make a choice,
“Better turn back now than later
When the damage would be greater.”
“My child,” the first voice coaxed.
There was no rush, just a calming note,
And in my windswept coat
I knew it was my blessed hope.
"Be of good cheer; it is I,
Be not afraid, on me you can rely,
I am with you on your climb,
I have been with you all the time.
Wherefore didst thou doubt?
Resist the devil and chase him out,
He wants to bring about your demise
But in me you’ll continue to rise.
Keep climbing child; don’t give in
Very soon you will reach the rim
Trust me for I am the I AM
I am the one who holds your hand.”
Stewart Russell © January 2018
