Obstacles 2014

Obstacles 2014

I am standing at the beginning of a mighty forest. I stood looking up at the base of a very large tree. I was 8 years old in this encounter and I was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. I noticed the bottom of the jeans where rolled up so they didn't touch the tops of my feet. The tree before me was more then 40ft high. I saw a small hatchet on the ground by the tree, so I picked it up. I looked at the forest of trees just like the one before me and let out a big frustrated sigh. I looked at the hatchet on the ground, picked it up, and I  began cutting at the base. After awhile I sat down on the grass to rest and catch my breath. I had made it half way through the tree's trunk.  As I sat there resting I noticed the tree where I was cutting slowly growing back. I yelling "No! No! This can't be happening!" I began to cut again at the base but every time I pulled the hatchet back I noticed the tree filled in where I had cut. I began to get frustrated and began to hack at the tree again. As I am working I see I AM appear and begin walking towards me. He stood there watching me trying to cut this tree down. I was so frustrated at this point I was crying as I hacked at the tree.  I AM asks "Child...What are you doing?" I stopped to take a breath and I said "I am trying to cut down this tree." I turn to start again but the tree once again grew back where I had been cutting. I got angry and threw the hatchet at the tree and it stuck into the side of it. The tree began to regrow until it pushed the hatchet out. I watched the small hatchet hit the ground. I turned away from the tree, sat down, and began to cry. I was completely frustrated by what was going on. I AM asked me "Who told you to do this?" I sighed and said "Isn't this what I am suppose to do? And the crappy thing is I can't even seem to do it right." I pulled up a few stands of grass and threw it out in front of me. I AM sat down next to me, "Child I didn't ask you to cut this down."  I said "well, in order to get through this forest I need to move the obstacles....or in this case the trees out of the way." He chuckled, put his arm around me and pulled me close. "You will never make it through the forest doing this. There will always be obstacles in your way. Child, stop focusing on the tress and make a new path around and them." He stood up and reached out for my hand so he could help me up. I reluctantly took his hand and he helped me to my feet. he said "Child, you're doing a lot of unnecessary work, do you know that?"  I sighed and said, "I feel like this is what I was suppose to do. I have to work harder so I can be whatever it is I am suppose to be....or do what ever it is I am supposed to be doing." I looked down at the ground feeling a bit embarrassed. I AM knelt down on one knee and embraced my face with his hands.  "I didn't ask you to do this. I certainly didn't ask you to be anything other then who you are. Child, your work is in vain because this...could never be done alone." I looked around at all the massive trees, most bigger then the one I was trying to cut down. I sat back down facing the trees, and with discouragement in my voice and asked "Then whats the point then? If I will never get past all this and get to where I need to be? It really just seems pointless." He sat down in front of me, he took my hands and said " I wont make you move, or stop cutting at the tree. But child if you take my hand and trust me, I will see you through the tree's and whatever obstacles are there and take you to other side. I will show you what the point is and the work will be a bit easier." I looked around at all the trees and then at him. He stood back up and he reached out his hand to me again. I took it and he asked "are you ready to do this with me?" I shook my head yes. Holding hand we began to walk away from the tree I tried to cut down. He pulled me closer as we began our walk into the forest.