A young shepherd tended his sheep on the slopes of a beautiful mountain. The boy's mother had instructed him to stay on this side of the mountain only because the other side would be dangerous. She explained to him about the border, the barb wire and the possibility of mines and about the neighboring country. But all warnings added more fuel to the already burning flame of interest. Being an inquisitive boy hungry for new experiences he decided just to take a peek at what the other side was like. The sheep were grazing as usual and there was no need to watch them so he slowly ventured out. He reached the top and viewed the other side. He saw strange objects which he had never seen before, so naturally they attracted him. He moved on closer in order to get a better look. While moving down the slope, his heart rate increased, beating with the excitement of the unknown.
Suddenly his pants caught on to a thorn bush, so he thought. The boy lost his balance and fell, sliding down the hill while his pants kept pulling and tearing until the boy found himself wrapped in barbed wire. Still turning down the hill like a sack of potatoes his skin was bleeding and he was unable to free himself from the wire and barbs. The place suddenly resounded with short thunders. All around him the earth was riddled with bullets. The boy cried for help. Caught by a bush, the bleeding body hung off a cliff in a blanket of sharp metal. 'Help! Help!', he cried in despair. The shooting ceased and the boy heard voices. The boarder soldiers cut the wire and freed the poor lad. They carried him off to a nearby watchtower and there they placed him in bed while yelling in a strange tongue. The terrified soul lost consciousness.
Hours passed. The boy slowly opened his eyes. Now he noticed that he was bandaged and in pain. The soldiers stared at him mumbling something to one another and pointing in his direction. Finally someone came who spoke the boy's language:
"What were you doing up there?"
"I tended the sheep" the boy answered hesitantly.
"On this side?” Silence.
"Huh? On this side?”
"I did not know" the boy whispered.
"He did not know - he did not know."
"Didn’t your mother teach you anything lad?" Asked the soldier. Now tears appeared in the boy's eyes. The soldier repositioned himself in his chair and then sneered, "Hah! Kids. Where do you live?"
"Down in the valley" was the reply.
"What valley?"
"On the other side."
"Okay. Do you know what you have done?" The boy nodded.
Time passed and those in charge realized that the boy accidentally fell into their territory; there was no sense to investigate the matter any further. The boy spent the night in a barrack while the appropriate authorities were informed concerning the incident.
In the meantime the boy's mother and father worried sick and thinking the worst. Bullets... mines... death. They wrestled with these awful thoughts, but were not willing to accept them. They inquired their neighbors, friends, police, searched the area, but everything pointed to one conclusion: the boy must have crossed the border.
About dawn, all hopes seemed shattered. The exhausted parents returned home and waited. Right before noon the police received information about the boy's ordeals and sends their men to the border. The parents rushed to the checkpoint as quickly as they could. From the other side a group of soldiers approached carrying a bandaged boy.
"Oh my God!"
"Look!” She cried to her husband.
"That couldn't be my boy!"
"Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Please...”
The group arrived at the checkpoint, handed in their written report, exchanged a few words, and then they sat the boy down. The mother and father rushed to his side with disbelief. Their boy was bloodily bruised.
It was hard to find any healthy skin to kiss, nor a possibility to hug him without causing pain. Any words seemed pointless. The boy was transported home and put in bed to recover. His mother did not have to repeat herself anymore "Do not reach the other side of the mountain."
The lesson became as a permanent scar on the boy's life.
* * *
Our God allows us sometimes to go through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). Through the trouble (Psalm 46). Even through the furnace of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 3), but if our hearts are pure and innocent He won't abandon us there. He will go with us into any place of danger for He is the All-Mighty.
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