Too far to turn back…

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Published on Saturday, May 26, 2018

By Rita Friesen

Neepawa Banner & Press

Arabbinical commentary on the Old Testament says that some of the Jews walked into the Red Sea up to their necks before the waters parted. The Jewish people had been captives, slaves, to the people of Egypt when Moses convinced Pharaoh to release them.  Granted it took a great deal of convincing and mighty acts of God before they started on their exodus.

And then, not far from the only life they knew, they noted the Egyptians in strong pursuit. Some wanted to return to the old life. Yes, they would be slaves, but they would have homes and food. Those with a drive and a vision stepped into the water. The commentator states that it was this deep faith that caused the waters to part.

There have been times in my life when stepping into the water looked daring. My first marriage was to an abusive alcoholic. There was no support system in place for me. My parents believed that marriage was for life, plain and simple. I had already been isolated from most friends and most family, another natural by product of an abusive relationship. I made the difficult decision to ask, hat in hand, if it would be possible for me to return as the prodigal daughter, a child in hand and another in the womb. I was granted lodging, and my parents loved my children. I returned home as the chore hand and worker. It was a safe place. It was not easy to return, the first of my class, my friends, and my family, to admit defeat and retreat. It was, however, necessary, and by then, I had gone too far to turn back. I had looked deep within and knew that my Divine Creator had not designed me to be a punching bag.

Within me burns a deep desire to listen to people, to hear their story, learn from it. And when hearing a heart that needs solace, often I am prompted to offer assistance. Young people long to be heard, and often just having told their story, they walk taller, have gained their own personal insight in the telling. Other times, out of my abundance, there are small ways I can offer encouragement and support. Here too, with the life experiences I treasure I know in part how another feels. And knowing brings responsibility. I have travelled too far to turn back.

Alan Cohen, A Course in Miracles, states my conclusion most accurately. “ as we face uncharted territory, our sense of insecurity bids us take refuge in our past. But at such a moment of anxiety we forget that the past did not work for us; that is precisely why we left it. It is but the voice of doubt and fear that urges us to be what we were, rather than what we are growing to become.”

I have come too far to turn back, or to turn my back on another. I will keep moving, step by step, day by day, and wait for the miracles of the parting waters.