Hinds Feet On High Places: Chapter 1
Chapter 1 Summary
As we begin chapter 1, we learn several important things about this story’s leading lady Much-Afraid. The first is that she has been in service of the Chief Shepherd for many years. The second is that she lives in the village of Much-Trembling. The third thing is that her work for the Chief Sheperd brought her great joy, and she loved doing it, but her work was hindered by a few things. Her hinderances include her crooked feet that prevent her from walking without limping or stumbling while doing her work and her crooked mouth which disfigured both her expression and her speech. We learn that Much-Afraid wanted nothing more than to be delivered from these shortcomings so that she could become like the Chief Sheperd and his other workers but feared that there was no way to be delivered from her shortcomings and that they would always impact her quality of service to the Chief Sheperd.
We learn that she is an orphan, is part of the family of Fearings and was brought up in her aunt’s house. Her family hated the Chief Shepherd and did everything they could to try to stop her from serving Him. We learn that her family recently told her that the family dictum (legal term) states that she must marry her cousin Craven Fear and if she refuses, they will have to force her.
She would go early in the morning to meet with the Chief Shepherd to learn what he would like her to do for the day, and again in the evenings to let him know how the day went. The Chief Shepherd explained to Much-Afraid that if she trusts him her family cannot force her into an alliance against her will and points out that she shouldn’t have let them into her cottage. When Much-Afraid states that she wishes she could go to the High Places, The Chief Sheperd tells her that he has been waiting for her to ask to go, and promises that he can help her develop hinds feet so that she can make it to the High Places. The Chief Sheperd then plants a seed of true love in Much-Afraid’s heart and tells her to go prepare for her journey and that he will pass her cottage singing a song and when she hears him she must follow him to the trysting place to leave.
On her way back to her cottage, Much-Afraid ran into craven fear, and as Craven Fear began to tease her, The Shepherd came and scared him away. Much-Afraid was so full of shame for acting like her old self that she didn’t dare look at the Great Shepherd and missed out on seeing the compassion in His face. She left and returned to her cottage without saying anything else to him and then was filled with joy as she remembered the seed of love that He had planted in her heart and went to sleep.
Chapter 1 Thoughts
A theme that I see throughout this chapter is the impact that fear can have on us, even when we truly desire to serve Jesus and grow closer to him. Much-Afraid lives in fear and is surrounded by relatives that delight in making her fearful, yet she also has found purpose and joy in serving the Chief Sheperd. 1 John 4:18 states that “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” This chapter is the beginning of Much-Afraid’s journey to be made perfect in love.
I think it is important to note that Much-Afraid has been serving the Great Shepherd for several years, and he had been waiting patiently for her to ASK for him to help her go to the High Places. Within this we see how her fear allowed doubt to cloud her view of the Chief Sheperd; though she loved Him and served Him, she did not believe that he could give her hinds feet to make it to the High Places. Or maybe she believed that he could, but didn’t think she was worth it? Either way, her fear was blocking her from receiving what the Chief Sheperd wanted to offer her, and all that time she only had to ask Him.
The same fears and doubts that she has when alone came to the surface when she was talking to the Chief Shepherd, but because he was there, he was able to respond to her worries and doubts. Isn’t this just like all of us? How easily we can go through our day with fear and doubt, but then when we spend time reading scripture and meeting with God, He reminds us that we can trust Him. And Much-Afraid does prove her trust in the Chief Shepherd, when she allows him to plant the seed of love in her heart, even though he warned her it would hurt a little.
Then as Much- Afraid walks home, she is overcome with fear when she sees her cousin walking towards her, and all that the Great Shepherd had said to her is forgotten. This part really stood out to me, not just because it is so relatable, but also because of how it describes the shame that Much-Afraid felt in his presence, and how she did not realize that he looked on her with compassion, and not judgement. How often do we do the same thing and turn away from God in shame instead of allowing his compassion to draw us in closer to him?
Then when Much-Afraid is back at home and had time to calm down and eat some food, she was able to remember all that the Chief Shepherd said to her and remembered the seed of Love that he planted in her heart. Remembering is such a powerful thing. Taking the time to remember what God has done for us and what he has said and promised is often the best remedy for fear.
I encourage you to write down 1 John 4:18 somewhere and work on memorizing it this week.
As we continue reading, it may be helpful to spend time in prayer asking God if there is any fear or doubt clouding your ability to see Him clearly and experience His love for you more fully.
I am excited to continue following along on Much-Afraid’s journey with you and I hope it is as encouraging to you as it is to me. I would love to hear what stood out to you as you read or listened to the first chapter if you have the time to comment or send a message.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
