Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

“She bent forward to look, then gave a startled little cry and drew back. There was indeed a seed lying in the palm of his hand, but it was shaped exactly like a long, sharply-pointed thorn… ‘The seed looks very sharp,’ she said shrinkingly. ’Won’t it hurt if you put it into my heart?’

He answered gently, ‘It is so sharp that it slips in very quickly. But, Much-Afraid, I have already warned you that Love and Pain go together, for a time at least. If you would know Love, you must know pain too.’

Much-Afraid looked at the thorn and shrank from it. Then she looked at the Shepherd’s face and repeated his words to herself. ’When the seed of Love in your heart is ready to bloom, you will be loved in return,’ and a strange new courage entered her. She suddenly stepped forward, bared her heart, and said, ‘Please plant the seed here in my heart.’

His face lit up with a glad smile and he said with a note of joy in his voice, ‘Now you will be able to go with me to the High Places and be a citizen in the Kingdom of my Father.’

Then he pressed the thorn into her heart. It was true, just as he had said, it did cause a piercing pain, but it slipped in quickly and then, suddenly, a sweetness she had never felt or imagined before tingled through her. It was bittersweet, but the sweetness was the stronger. She thought of the Shepherd’s words, ‘It is so happy to love,’ and her pale, sallow cheeks suddenly glowed pink and her eyes shown. For a moment Much-Afraid did not look afraid at all.”
― Hannah Hurnard, Hinds' Feet on High Places

Love as a sharp thorn - it's true! And why wouldn't anyone shrink from it? Figuring out how to except the joy with the pain is the trick. I have to decide if love, in particular settings, is worth the pain.

I'm having a hard time! I don't know where or what to look for or what I need. I think for me brainstorming is my best option.

Temple Raven

Temple Raven is a sad bird. But only on the outside. On the inside she flies free from the mundane syllogisms (I don't know what that word means. It just came to me.) of the world.

Abused by the father she loved more than anything else in the world, abandoned by her mentor, she was also rejected by her lover. He flew into madness and never returned.

She finds safety in the rafters of a temple - a place where she once worshipped and this is where she found a name and title - something that would stick with her for the rest of her life.

It works! How about that!

syl·lo·gism
ˈsiləˌjizəm/
noun
noun: syllogism; plural noun: syllogisms

1. an instance of a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn (whether validly or not) from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a term with the conclusion, and shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion (e.g., all dogs are animals; all animals have four legs; therefore all dogs have four legs ).
   • deductive reasoning as distinct from induction.
     "logic is rules or syllogism"

“When you wear the weed of impatience in your heart instead of the flower Acceptance-with-Joy, you will always find your enemies get an advantage over you.”
― Hannah Hurnard, Hinds' Feet on High Places

Wow, couldn't find this more applicable to my life. BUT, I'm supposed to be trying to focus on allegory.

Symbolism:

Impatience as a weed
opposed to
acceptance with joy
as a flower.

Thoughts: weeds can overcome & destroy everything around them.
Flowers are gifts of joy, happiness, love, romance.

I finally found the blog I was looking for. I'll post the link. Here's something I want to remember.

1. Healing Streams/Hinds Feet: Much-Afraid awakes in the High Places with Hinds’ Feet. Called by the Shepherd, Much-Afraid realizes that she is able to leap out of the canyon she is in with her new powerful hinds’ feet. The Shepherd fulfills his covenant with Much-Afraid by giving her a new name – Grace-and-Glory – and bestowing upon her the divine love that has blossomed in her heart.19 He also transforms the common stones she collected as memory of her sacrifices into jewels from which to fashion her heavenly crown. Finally, he introduces her to her new companions, the transformed Sorrow and Suffering, now called Joy and Peace.
2. High Places/Return to the Valley: Despite the lessons Grace-and-Glroy and her companions learn in the High Places, and the trouble they took in getting there, they decide that their new responsibility is to help others reach the High Places as well.

Here's the link to the above post.

https://sabesi.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/hinds-feet-on-high-places-christian-study-guide/

I think it's interesting and inspiring how Much Afraid's name was changed to Grace and Glory. Hind's feet doesn't always bring an image of 'grace' to mind. So we start out stumbling and afraid but we end up beautiful.

You know this is really an awful thought. (God forgive me.) But what's one of your favorite sexual positions? My feet on your high places. Lmao!!

Damn right. I'll crack those f*ckin' ribs.

I can't say the F word around here can I.

Ok, I'm laughin' so hard.

Should I calm down now?

hahahahahaha

Gay

I don't care if you're gay or not.
Seriously? Really?
If I love you, I love you.
Just the way you are.

And maybe
someday
in an un-gay moment
you'll want to be with me.



I don't hang around
cause you are who I want you to be,
cause you do what I want you to do.
I hang around you
cause I like you.