Chapter Books,  Christianity

Hinds’ Feet On High Places

Hinds’ Feet On High Places is a book that the worship pastor at our former church referred to often. I had tried to read it in college without much success, but he raised my curiosity enough to prompt another attempt 5 or 6 years ago. This time I was able to finish it, and found it full of nourishment and wisdom. When I picked it up a few weeks ago to glance at again, my daughter was nearby and asked what it was about. I read her the first few pages and she seemed interested; a search online revealed this version arranged and illustrated for children, so I bought it to read together.

Both girls have loved it, and we read it quickly because they requested it several times a day. The illustrations are colorful and attractive, and the text is interspersed with short meditations and prayers, some of which we read and some of which we didn’t. The story concerns Much Afraid and her journey out of the Valley of Humiliation, where her Fearing relatives oppress her, to the High Places where her crooked mouth and crooked feet are transformed and she receives a new name.

It’s comparable to Dangerous Journey, an adaptation of Pilgrim’s Progress that we also enjoyed together. Both stories are spiritual allegories. Both concern a journey and a transformation. But where Dangerous Journey leads Christian to the Celestial City — Heaven — Much Afraid is taken to the high places of spiritual life on this side of Heaven. When I asked the girls to compare, they said they thought both books were great. For myself, though the pictures in Dangerous Journey are spectacular, I think Hinds’ Feet on High Places is better suited to where we are right now in a couple of ways.

For one thing, Much Afraid is a girl, like my audience. For another thing, Dangerous Journey is a strikingly dark tale by comparison; though this story has its share of dangers that Much Afraid has to pass through, the big difference is that the Shepherd — Jesus himself — is a vibrant presence in the story, and he is never very far away. This affords not just more gentleness to the idea of the Christian life as a difficult journey, but more truth. By comparison, Christian in Dangerous Journey seems quite alone. He has inner faith, and he is joined by different virtues along the way, but never by the Savior himself. In this sense the portrayal of the Christian life is incomplete.

I wondered at times whether even this tale would be disturbing to the girls. Last week in a sermon on suffering, the pastor mentioned that we need to be careful what we say to those who are enduring a painful experience; they need to know God loves them, he pointed out, not that God is causing their problems. That’s the impression we create if we toss off phrases like, “God does everything for a reason.”

In this story, the Shepherd gives Much Afraid two companions to guide her: Sorrow and Suffering. And the way he directs her to take is often puzzlingly difficult, seeming to lead away from the High Places. He asks her again and again to trust him, for he is choosing the route in order to teach her things she can only learn by going this way. I wondered if I’d made a mistake in sharing it with the girls.

But based on their reaction, I have to conclude that the story pulls it off without creating a picture of God as a cosmic sadist. The Shepherd is an attractive, kind character, and over and over again he proves to be right. Much Afraid does indeed gain strength and learn how to overcome fears and obstacles. And as I mentioned before, the Shepherd is never very far away. He is available whenever she calls for help.

There is a lot of wisdom in this little book, even in this simplified form. I think it introduced some helpful ways of thinking about — and talking about — walking with the Lord that will serve children well. Both daughters responded with enthusiasm, and I had the sense that it was addressing questions that were important to them, but that they may not have articulated or thought much about before now. It might not have this effect on everyone, but for us, it has been a very good investment.

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