Shasta

I've been reading through the books from the Chronicles of Narnia.  Right now I'm about finished with the Horse and His Boy. It is by far my favorite book in the series right now.

    The thing that I love about it is the Destiny of this small boy who felt he had no significance in life and was only treated barely better than a slave.

    Shasta is a young boy that was rescued by a fisherman when he was just a baby who came along a talking horse and together they decided to run away from their old lives and live for freedom!

    Along the way he made some good friends and had many adventures.  The greatest thing that he does though is a dangerous and hard trip through the desert to get to a people in order to warn them that they are going to be attacked.

    He is pushed to the very limits of his faith, strength and courage in order to make it, and right when he expends the last of his effort he encounters some of the people he is trying to warn who are then able to carry the message the rest of the way.

    He tries to follow them but gets left behind and but decides to keep going in hopes that he's headed in the right direction.

    Shasta wanders in the foggy mountains and is joined by an unseen companion who travels with him for a while. He asks Shasta to tell him of his sorrows and he laments how unfortunate his life has been up to this point with all the troubles that he had faced.

    The stranger tells him he is not unfortunate at all, but is very blessed, and through all those hard and difficult times He was there to make sure that Shasta was safe and pushed him to give his all in order to save the people.

    I was really moved by this.  Although it feels at times like I'm very inadequate, with no special talents or gifts, and that I've have had many hard times in my life, it makes me aware how close Heavenly Father really is.

    That He placed me where I am in life to learn things about myself.  To conquer fears, doubts, temptations, and weaknesses. To grow and learn faith, hope, courage, and love.

    He pushes me beyond what I think I am capable of taking in order that I will be able to fulfill the Destiny that He has given to me.

    He's been there at times and I've had no idea, at times when I haven't deserved it, the times when I have, and the times when I've needed Him the most.

    I am eternally grateful for my Loving Father. Especially for the strength and healing He has given me as I've struggled the past two weeks with things pertaining to true and endless love.

    Now back to Shasta.  He went on to discover that he was the son of a wonderful and kind King and he would someday also be king.  It makes my heart leap and sing and know that I will discover more greatness in myself beyond that which I already have.

Best of all he got the girl.  Which gives me hope that I will get mine too!