The Closet (Wednesday, August 9)
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; forthe Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV)
Emotions are like trees in a strong midwestern thunderstorm, that bend whichever way the wind is blowing at that moment. Emotions are feelings, originating in and influenced by our surroundings, our mood, and our circumstances. Emotions are seldom based on either knowledge or reason.
Emotions are like a roller coaster that starts off with a slow climb to great heights, followed by a steep plunge into fear and apprehension. It takes us to heights of momentary joy and happiness, throws in some twists of doubt and confusion, and then comes to a screeching halt right back where you started. The result is that you now feel emotionally spent from three or four minutes of emotional upheaval.
Fear is one of the most powerful emotions that we feel. Fear can be overwhelming, to the point of paralyzing us. Fear can be so terrifying that it causes us to flee whatever is the source of our fear. But fear can sometimes be the driving force that causes us to step towards the source of our fear, with the hope of attempting to overcome it or to, at least, better understand it.
Whimpering closets, in my experience at least, are not normal, everyday occurrences! Yet, there we stood, listening in complete shock and confusion as we looked in disbelief at this whimpering closet. There was a stale chill in the air, and we could feel the fear rising inside us.
We couldn’t believe either what we were seeing, nor what we were hearing. This closet door was the only door in the house, at least that we could see. It was a new door that looked out of place. And what possible reason could there be for the whimpering sounds behind that door?
We had felt the voice that appeared to be all around us. We had seen the figure in the upstairs window with the neon green eyes. But this was different. This time we were inside the house, and any potential escape would be more difficult. To say that we were anxious would be an understatement.
We had no idea what or who was behind that closet door. We weren’t even sure that it was just our imagination playing tricks on us. The only way to know for certain was to open the door and see for ourselves.
Those few steps that we had to take to reach the closet were the longest five or six feet that I had ever walked. The fear within us seemed to grow the closer we came to the closet. Upon reaching the closet, still hearing the soft whimpering from the other side of the door, with trembling hands we timidity reached out to turn the doorknob and open the door. It was locked!
The whimpering inside the closet stopped with the noise of us trying to open the door. Not knowing what else to do, and not stopping to think about the consequence, we grabbed a small log from the front porch, and we began attacking that doorknob like there was no tomorrow! It took a few minutes, but we were soon able to break off the doorknob.
Once the doorknob was removed, it was an easy task to pull the lock mechanism out, thus freeing the door to open. Unsure of what the next step was, we took a few steps away from the closet, as much in wonderment as in fear. Should we have busted the door? Should we open the door and see what’s inside? Should we even be inside the house?
The question of whether we should open the door was quickly answered. In what could only be described as a flash, two young children burst open the closet door and ran out the front door without even glancing at us. We stood dumbfounded for just a moment before running to the front porch, hope to see where they had run. But they were nowhere in sight.
Not knowing what to do with what we had just experienced, we did the only thing that made sense to us in that moment…we left! We made our way back to Craig’s car and went about our day, without talking about what we had just experienced.
It was several weeks before we returned to the house, partly because of our schedules, but partly out of fear of what we might discover next. Even though it wasn’t at the house at the end of the driveway, we didn’t have to wait too long before finding out what was next.
Come back next time as we experience Jackknifed.
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