Hinds Feet on High Places Summary and Thoughts - Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Summary

The Great Shepherd tells Much-Afraid that the next part of her journey will be through the Forests of Danger and Tribulation, but that she does not need to fear because he will be with her. Then the Shepherd instructed Much-Afraid not to try and picture what she fears will lay ahead, because it will only cause her to walk in fear, agony and trembling when there is nothing to fear. After instructing her on this, he picked up a stone and gave it to her for her to add to her memorial stones.

As Much-Afraid began her journey in the forest with Sorrow and Suffering, she also encountered her enemies Self-Pity, Resentment, Craven Fear, Bitterness and Pride. They each took their turn trying to convince Much-Afraid that she should give up on this journey, but Much-Afraid continued on and they eventually left her alone. When Craven Fear showed up again, Much-Afraid asked Sorrow and Suffering to help her and she began flinging stones at Craven Fear. Her companions laughed out loud and helped Much-Afraid throw stones until all five of her enemies disappeared. Then they found a log hut to provide shelter and protection from the storm.

Much-Afraid and her companions rested in the log hut for three days while they waited for the storm to pass. During this time she was able to get to know her companions better and began to understand their mountain dialect better. Much-Afraid realized that she was beginning to see Sorrow and Suffering as real friends and not just the guides that she was commanded to journey with. Much also found that the more she saw sorrow and suffering as friends the more she was able to recognize beauty and delight in the world around her.

“Though the uproar of the tempest without was almost deafening and the hut shuddered and shook in every blast, yet inside was nothing but peace and thanksgiving and cheerful contentment.” pg. 71

Chapter 11 Thoughts

This chapter is one of my favourite chapters in the whole book. I love this image of Much-Afraid and her companions resting by a fire in this log hut while the storm rages outside. Much-Afraid learns in this chapter that when she trusts in the Shepherd’s protection and promises, she can feel peace in the midst of a storm.

I want to highlight three things that Much-Afraid did in this chapter to her keep her focus on the Shepherd during her storm. The first thing she did was to throw stones at her enemies and cause them to flee. This stands out to me because stones are also the item that Much-Afraid uses to remember what the Shepherd has taught her. This is what we are doing when we remind ourselves of the truth, of how God has come through in the past, of what God promises and what Scripture says. We scare away the enemy when we pull out the sword of truth.

The second thing Much-Afraid did that helped her to stay focused on the Shepherd was guard her imagination from thinking about what fearful things she might face on her journey. Instead, she focused on what the Shepherd promised her and the blessings of being in that cabin during the storm.

The third thing Much-Afraid did was to allow her relationship with Sorrow and Suffering to grow and accept them as friends and not just guides. Her connection to Sorrow and Suffering helped her to see the beauty in the world around her, even in the trials she faced. The interesting thing is that it seems like Sorrow and Suffering are changing as Much-Afraid’s view of them changes. For at the end of the chapter eleven, Much-Afraid finds Sorrow singing and when she says that she didn’t know Sorrow could sing, Sorrow responded, “Neither did I, but on the way up here through the forest I found the words and tune coming into my head just as I am singing them now” (pg. 72). This seems to be a hint that Much-Afraid will not be the only one transformed by this journey to th High Places:)

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

“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.” 1 John 4:18