After our articles about St. Patrick’s Breastplate, many of you expressed interest in seeing more content that was similarly positive and inspirational. I feel that The Cry of the Deer was not only uplifting, but it was also incredibly relevant to the moments we’re living in right now.
The written word, no matter how old, can always be relatable because life is cyclical. What we experience now will be experienced again. That is the nature of the world. It seems that finding purpose in passages from centuries past brings us a sense of solace because it reminds us of the age-old adage: “This too shall pass”. After all, it has before.
The following is a passage from The Book of Isaiah, and although it is an ancient text, we can still apply its message to our current feelings of panic and anxiety.
“Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you.
Take cover, for in a little while the fury will be over.” -Isaiah 26:20
This passage is meant to warn readers of difficult times ahead, and is written with the purpose of reminding us to remain steadfast in our faith. In troubling and turbulent moments, such as ones that we are experiencing now, it is easy to see nothing but a bleak outlook.
In my article, “An Eagle Soars,” I wrote about my dad’s five-year illness, and how watching him wither away made me feel like I was isolated in a room that was pitch black. I was living in total darkness, but there was a flicker of light in that room, a glimmer that I could hold on to, that I could follow as it guided me out. That light was faith, faith that everything was going to be okay, faith that I could handle anything that was to come my way.
Isaiah writes that people are to enter their rooms and shut their doors, just as we have been instructed to enter our homes and remain there until this fury passes. Isaiah acknowledges the fear that readers feel in this instruction, but he also reminds us that this time of terror will eventually go away.
The world has seen horror before. Humans have seen beauty and wonder, but they have also seen evil and dread. Humans have seen prosperity and they have seen recession. We have watched the sun rise on bright tomorrows and set on bleak yesterdays.
The future feels uncertain. We wrestle back and forth between hope and fear, yet in Isaiah’s passage of warning, I can’t help but remember a passage from The Book of Psalms, one that reads:
“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
-Psalm 46:10
Those lines are meant to bring readers a sense of peace. They are meant to reassure us that even in the most frightening of times, we can sleep soundly with the knowledge that we are not alone. We may be encountering circumstances that are out of our control, but these circumstances are in the hands of something far greater than us.
The last couple weeks have brought us a great sense of confusion. This pandemic, and all of its consequences, escalated quickly and entered our lives with a vengeance, but we are still here. We are still fighting. We know the odds are against us, but we continue to tackle them.
That’s the thing about life. The obstacles don’t disappear, the hurdles don’t cease to exist, but as the tribulations continue, so does our resolve. Ordeals bring about fortitude, fortitude brings about faith, and faith is what carries us through.
Today, the future feels uncertain. Our world feels dark, but no matter how anxious you feel, remember to take cover and have faith in the cycle of life, because this; too, will be over soon.
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