Chapter 8 Summary

At the beginning of Chapter 8, Much-Afraid was overcome with excitement when she saw their path turn straight towards the mountains. She was so excited that she dropped the hands of her companions and ran ahead of them. But then the path suddenly took a sharp turn away from the mountains and Much-Afraid found herself standing alone in dismay as Bitterness appeared from a distance and began laughing and mocking her. Sorrow and Suffering caught back up to Much-Afraid just before a sand storm surrounded them.

After the sandstorm, Much-Afraid prays to the Great Shepherd to ask what he would like to speak to her. The Shepherd appeared and asked Much-Afraid to build an altar and sacrifice her whole will on it, and she does. Then they continue walking and the Great Shepherd stays with them for a time, until they reach the ramp up to a sea wall that would bring them across where the sea flows into the desert. The Good Shepherd left Much-Afraid with her companions and the three of them crossed the sea wall. While crossing the sea wall, Much-Afraid thought about how the Great Shepherd has made her triumph over her enemies and picked up a stone to add to her bag in rememberance of that.

Then after the seawall, Much-Afraid and her companions walked into a wooded area that felt like a long-awaited spring. Flowers bloomed, birds were singing and Much-Afraid felt a stirring in her heart. She looked at the seed of Love the Shepherd had planted in her heart and saw that it was almost ready to bloom. Much-Afraid remembered that the Shepherd promised her that when her the seed in her heart was ready to bloom she would be loved in return and would receive a new name on the High Places, but she was still so far from the High places that she felt like that promise could not come true. This brought tears to her eyes, but then she noticed a golden replica of the flower she found in the desert blooming in her heart. This reminded Much-Afraid that she is to accept with joy whatever path the Shepherd leads her down. Much-Afraid laid the flower “Acceptance-with-Joy” onto an altar and then noticed that a spark from the flame on the altar entered her heart and stayed there, glowing warm and radiant. And a new stone appeared on the altar, which Much-Afraid placed in her bag. They continued on their way and when they got to the edge of the woods, Much-Afraid found the Great Shepherd waiting for her. The Great Shepherd told Much-Afraid that she is to be ready for something new. Much-Afraid was filled with excitement to hear that she will be going to the High Places soon.

Chapter 8 Thoughts:

One of the things that stood out to me the most in this chapter is Much-Afraid’s response when she thought she was running toward the High Places and then realized the path turned away from the High Places again. This is the first time we see Much-Afraid turn to the Shepherd in her distress by asking Him what he would like to speak to her. She is learning to turn to him first when she is confused or struggling. In previous chapters, Much-Afraid did call out to the Great Shepherd in her distress, but it was only when she was under attack or when she was crying out in disbelief of where He was leading her. The way she calls to him this time shows that she has faith the Shepherd will guide her through this trial like he has in all the others.

The second part that stood out to me in this chapter is Much-Afraid’s response to arriving at the Wooded area…

“Much-Afraid told herself that never before had she realized what the awakening from the death of winter was like. Perhaps it had needed the desert wastes to open her eyes to all this beauty, but she walked through the wood, almost forgetting for a little that Sorrow and her sister also walked with her. Everywhere she looked it seemed that the unfurling green on the trees and the nesting squirrels and blossoming flowers were all saying the same thing, greeting one another in their own special language with a sort of ecstasy and calling cheerfully, ‘You see, the winter has gone at last. The delay was not unto death but for the glory of God. Never was there a fairer spring than this.’” (p. 49)

In this chapter, Much-Afraid’s time in the desert is related to winter. I’m not sure about you, but thinking about her time in the desert as winter is much more relatable to my own life than trying to imagine what it would be like to wander in a desert, but they have a lot in common. Both landscapes of winter and desert are places where we see no fruit, they are environments where vegetation is not able to grow. They are both landscapes of little colour, and consist of extreme temperatures that can be life-threatening. If the desert is the furnace, then winter is the freezer. In both of these places, we are forced to rely on God to help us survive, to meet our needs.

What does it look like for you to rely on God to meet your needs in winter? (the spiritual kind and the seasonal kind)
What aspects of the Winter season can be a reminder to you of the truths you are learning in this book?

Much-Afraid still has several lessons to learn on her journey to the High Places and I look forward to continuing this journey with you.

-Nadine

Hinds Feet on High Places Summary and Thoughts - Chapter 8

Hinds Feet on High Places Summary and Thoughts - Chapter 7