"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9
It was with the much constraint that Frailian not only held her tongue but any movement. She sat high in the tree watching her mother being clubbed within an inch of her life. Oh, how she wanted to jump on the monster that was doing harm to the sweet woman beneath her. But Frailian held her place high in the tree and watched. The tears ran freely as she witnessed the brutality of the scene before her. Why is it that sometimes for the good of the cause it is harmful for those we love? Frailian had no answers but what she did know was that she needed the precious papers that her mother had been carrying. In fact, Frailian knew that her mother would have wanted her to wait and be patient even though it caused bodily harm. Such a good/bad moment. It felt all wrong to just watch and not help.
Frailian had a sneaking suspicion that her mother knew she was close by perched up in a tree. The girl had been a tree climber all her life, a practice and pattern she had honed to get away from the monsters. The trees were her sanctuary and in them she had always had felt more safe. Even now, as she was in the MC's army with no fear of the monsters, the trees were her haven. A solace above the turmoil. Tonight, however, she felt frozen to the spot and not free. Every inch of her wanted to jump from the limb in the heights and crash down on the enemy. But it was as if the tree limbs held onto her, constraining her to hold fast. Screaming was not an option. Neither was movement. So Frailian sat very still and cried silently. No one hearing, no one seeing the devastating effect that the scene below had on her. This was something that would haunt her for a long time.
It seemed like an eternity but eventually the enemy was gone, dragging the precious body with them. To where they were taking her mother she did not know. But just as soon as Frailian retrieved the hidden papers she would find out. Quietly, the girl slid down the tree into the bushes. There were the papers she was hoping to find inside that pouch that her mother had put them in. Frailian flung the strap of the pouch around her neck and shoulders and climbed back up into the branches above her.
It was the memory of her mother and what she had sacrificed that caused the speed of flying this night. Frailian swung from one tree to the next effortlessly. This sport, if you could call it that, had been her particular joy for so long. Now flying through the trees was her necessity. The skill that she had worked at for escape was now the skill that could save lives, possibly her own mother's. So, Frailian ran as fast as she could down the large tree branch and flung herself into the air. It did look like she was flying but in reality she was free-falling to the next tree. Sometimes there would be a rope mid-flight that she had strategically placed. But most times it was the speed that would launch her to the next tree catching just the right limb to bounce her up and keep going. Those that had seen Frailian "fly" through the trees were amazed and could hardly believe their eyes.
There had been many times that the young girl had actually fallen to the ground. Because she was young this didn't cause too much difficulty. Although there had been some broken bones in her times of "flying" it was not enough to stop the girl from soaring through the air. It was for this particular skill that the MC had approached her. In fact, truth be known, it was the MC that had given her the strength for this particular skill in the first place. He had encouraged her and instructed her to perfect it as soaring through the trees undetected would be and was most useful. Frailian, at times, actually felt the MC's pleasure racing from tree to tree. With each jump it was as if the young girl was more alive and emboldened to run faster and jump farther. To risk much for the Kingdom was not an unusual concept for warriors so Frailian was always trying harder to be the most that she could be for her Master Commander.
This night was different than most. She had always given her all for the sake of the Kingdom for she believed in the rightness of it and It's hope for humanity. But tonight there was the added familial urge. Her own mother, the one who gave everything for her, was taken captive, hurt and possibly dead. So her quest was two-fold. First, her resolve to serve the MC. There was no question to where her loyalties were. But then, as to her mother, she would risk life and limb to help her. Her speed was of upmost importance. And so Frailian took more risks and flew higher to attain the goal. She must get help and she must get the precious papers to the encampment and the Master Commander. There was no room for fear.
Oftentimes, in the Christian life, there are moments when our hearts race with fear, we are tempted to keep silent or hide. Personally, I have struggled with this too much and too often. Our Lord calls us to be strong even when we feel weak, speak even when we are afraid to or to be bold even when we want to hide. But this isn't a strength in our own abilities for, sooner or later, they will fail us. No, it is a strength that comes from the One we call Lord. For with Him we can "run against a troop, and leap over a wall" (Psalm 18:29-30). Whatever known or unknown enemy you are facing today can I encourage you to trust in the Lord who will give you grace and make you able to face it. There will always come something that will challenge us. But we are not alone. We don't have to fear.
"fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
"You came near when I called on you;
you said, 'Do not fear'."
Lamentations 3:57
