Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Help (02/20/06)
-
TITLE: An Irish Mother's Prayer | Previous Challenge Entry
By Teri Wilson
02/25/06 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
“Heavenly Father, his legs are gone. My son, my Ronan, will never walk through the clover in the springtime. He will never feel the wind whipping his face as he runs over the dales. I don’t know how to face this. Please be there for him, Lord. Give him strength, give him faith, give him peace. Please help my boy.”
As the prayer rises to paradise, to the place where angels dwell, it increases in intensity until it becomes a shooting star blazing into the throne room.
The Ancient of Days watches as the prayer hovers before the great white throne. He feels the prayer deep in his bones and knows every nuance of the love behind its power. A lone tear slides down his face. For a long moment, no one in the room utters a word.
After a respectful pause, one of the angels speaks. “Lord, what will you do?”
All eyes are fixed on the Ancient of Days in rapt attention.
Quietly, he answers the angel, “I will help him. I will give him strength. I will give him faith. I will give him peace. And I will give him legs.”
“Come!” the Ancient of Days beckons. His voice is like thunder. At its sound the clouds part and heaven stands open. The angels stand in awe as they see a horse of fire gallop from heaven into the throne room.
The creature stands before the throne of grace, shining like the sun in all its brilliance. Its eyes are licks of flame. The horse stands ready to do the Lord’s bidding.
The Ancient of Days lifts his hand in blessing over the horse’s fiery head.
“Bless you, horse, for you will be the child’s helper. Your strength will be his strength, your legs his legs. On your back he will walk through the clover in the springtime and feel the wind whipping his face as he runs over the dales. In your saddle he will find peace.”
The horse nods and neighs in obedience to the Lord.
“Now, go. Find the boy. As surely as the sun sets, he and his mother will know that I love them with all my heart.”
The majestic creature rears up with a loud snort. He paws the holy air with his hooves then swiftly sets out in search of the boy. His body is an inferno that crashes through the barrier separating earth from the heavenly realm. The angels watch the horse’s descent until his blazing body is a tiny glimmer barely visible down below.
***********
Morning settles over the Irish countryside like a warm, snuggly blanket. Ronan rubs his eyes as he tries to shake off a heavy night’s sleep.
“Mother,” he calls. Then he waits for her to come help him attach his prosthetic legs.
There is no answer. She must still be sleeping. So, Ronan lays awake and waits. The only sound filling the room is the rhythmic noise of his breathing. Until the whinny.
“Wait a minute,” the boy thinks. “What was that?”
He sits up and curiously peeks behind the curtain. Ronan’s heart hammers in his chest as he sees a horse, of all things, standing in the field next to his home. He must be imagining things, but it looks as though the horse is staring straight at him.
“I must get outside!” The boy struggles to reach his prosthetic legs. They are heavy and cumbersome, but he manages to get them up onto his bed. It takes thirty long minutes to attach the plastic legs, but Ronan gets them on all by himself. Every few minutes he checks outside to make sure the horse is still there. It still stands in the field, as if waiting for him.
Ronan crosses the yard. His crutches are awkward and unsteady on the clover and he struggles to stay upright. Finally, he reaches the large horse standing calmly in the emerald grass.
“Where did you come from?” Ronan asks.
The boy looks into the horse’s eyes for an answer. He could swear he sees the flicker of a flame.
*************
This story is inspired by the life of Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan who, after tragically losing his legs as a child, went on to become a world class equestrian.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
