Fear is too heavy to carry

You have come to the narrow bridge
       frightfully high
   nothing to hold onto
                    and a long way down.
On this precipice of fear,
        there is only God to cling to
and “savior” becomes no longer
                 a decision made long ago
      but a reality that arrives
                                  several times a day.
It is the path that moves beyond
   that which is sight
               to that which is faith,
     beyond the standard liturgical response
                                to life itself.
It is knowing there is nothing
         we can do
                   nor the expertise of others,
          no instant cures or treatments
                                but God alone
                   that we may know Him.
And how can I call to you
    from where I stand on firmer ground
            “be tough”
                     “don’t be afraid”
     when I can’t see the other side either
      and have never felt the fear of falling.
The journey is uncertain
                one foot at a time
                                   sliding rocks
                                   shadows foreboding
          but He is there
                                 no darkness too deep.
Fear is too heavy to carry
and worry blocks out the light.


(I wrote this piece in July 1994 for a friend struggling with stage 4 breast cancer, young children at home, and the odds stacked immeasurably against her.  God brought her through. She is a grandmother now.)