Maria and the Wall

There once was a little girl named Maria, she lived in a large house on top of a hill with many siblings and with their Father. Around the house was a wall on which Maria’s Father said never to play.
But Maria was a curious child, “Why would my Father tell me not to do something unless it was fun?” She did not know her Father well enough to know that He would never withhold any joy, fun, or love or any good thing from His children.
One day she climbed on top of the wall, she thought her Father was not watching but He was always watching. Maria had so much fun balancing on the wall that she decided to do it again the next day. Soon it became a regular thing.
Then there came a day when as Maria was playing on the wall she looked down the hill to a place where many strange and beautiful flowers were growing. “What is this place?” She wondered. Then she heard her Father call her name. “Maria? Where are you?” Maria did not want her Father to see her so close to the wall, and she knew that He would be able to tell that she had been at the wall even if she got down and went to Him, He just knew things like that.
Maria’s only escape was to the other side of the wall, it looked nice enough, so she leapt. She leapt from the place where she was close to her Father to a place she did not know.
Maria knew as soon as she landed that she had been tricked. The flowers were not flowers as all, but briars and they clung to her and tore her clothing and skin. She tried to run away but it was the same everywhere, she could not escape. She noticed as she looked closer at the wicked looking briars that they were all labeled. “Lies” said one, “Doubt” said another, “Hate”, “Loneliness”, “Fear”, and “Pride” were some more, there were too many to count.
“Maria!” She heard her name called again and she dropped to the ground covering her ears. She did not want to hear Him now. As she glanced up the hill at the wall from which she’d jumped she noticed for the first time that it too was labeled. “Compromise” it read.
Maria wept, she did not think she would ever be free. She did not want to call to her Father because she did not believe He cared. As she looked at the wall with tears in her eyes, she realized that she had to get back there. So she began to fight against the thorns. At first it seemed that the harder she fought the worse they clung, until she heard her Fathers voice once more. “I love you.” He said.
Maria could not believe this, at first but He said it over and over until it began to penetrate. “He loves me!” She shouted and a thorn loosened it’s hold on her arm. Noticing this Maria moved closer to the wall, up the hill. Another thorn clung to her, “He loves me!” She shouted and the thorn released it’s grip. Again she was able to move closer, then she heard the voice again. “You’re beautiful!”
She really could not believe that one. “No I’m not.” She said and more thorns clung to her. “No, I mean I am! I’m beautiful and He loves me!” The thorns let go. Seeing this Maria plunged ahead, up the hill shouting these truths and pushing thorns aside. Finally she reached the wall of Compromise. “Father, I’m back!” She called. “I believe you!” “Break through your compromise!” Came the answer. Maria backed up and began to slam the wall with her body again and again all the time shouting the truths her Father had told her. Dust fell from the wall and continued to fall, finally a brick fell. Maria was exhausted by now. “I cant do it.” she said. “I need help!” “Ask me” came her Fathers voice. “Help me Father. Help me to break through the wall of compromise, I can’t do this alone. I’m sorry.”
A sigh of relief came from the other side of the wall, or was it a sigh of satisfaction? “Finally.” Said the voice more to itself. Suddenly the wall shuddered and toppled, there was Maria’s Father, standing, holding his arms open, Maria ran, away from all the lies, all the doubt all the thorns, the briar. She left it and dove into her Fathers arms.

These thorns can not touch you when you are looking to the One who loves you, it’s almost as if truth is a force-field around you and cares and trials bounce off of you.