Blink. I opened my eyes.

I found myself in a pool of some sort as a heavy, sinister fog settled over me like a thick blanket. Unable to touch bottom, I panicked, thrashing wildly about in liquid as dark as blackwater swamp. All about me were people of every race and age who bore expressions of horror and agony. Some of them were attempting to hide their eyes while others looked about to and fro as if they were hunting for a way out or either a victim. Their images appeared smeared and out of focus as though I were viewing them through a darkened glass. Heads bobbed up and then down before totally disappearing into the vile substance beneath. The sounds of groans and pitiful weeping reverberated in the chamber. Disturbed by the contorted images of those around me, I looked up and around to try to get my bearings.

It appeared as if we were in the flooded arena of a Roman Amphitheater! How could this be? There was no audience, although it seemed I glimpsed dark figures ominously moving in and out of the fog. I began sinking in despair. Frantically I fought against the downward undercurrent and sought a way of escape.

Mercifully, I saw a path leading to a dark tunnel.  I shoved myself forward with all my might, pushing my body with both arms and legs. Without warning, there was a tug on my shirt as an unknown ally propelled me forward with such strength that I found myself on solid ground.  I sprang to my feet and darted toward the dark tunnel, trying to escape the screams of terror in the arena. I had sprinted about thirty feet into the tunnel when suddenly I felt an icy grip on my ankle.

A disembodied voice rattled, “Come back, you belong with us”.

I screamed in horror as I pulled away from the unknown assailant. My scream seemed to ignite a chorus of gravelly voices warning me to go back to the arena or else there would be dire consequences. I wasn’t going back!  The light I saw ahead, although dim, was my beacon of hope.

I kept running. It seemed there was an anonymous benefactor guiding my feet as I sprang off of jagged rocks, avoiding the grasp of the tunnel dwellers.

I couldn’t make out the sides of the tunnel but if I let my eyes rest on the darkness, I could see menacing shadows lurking about. I jerked my head away from the dreary obscurity and focused on the steady light ahead. The tunnel felt more like a cave; the lair of a horrible dragon whose victims were strewn about in various stages of decay.

I picked up speed as I ran from my own thoughts and fears. The light grew brighter. I could see mossy concrete steps to the left which led to a small porch with two large exit doors side-by-side. I briefly glimpsed a massive man standing in front of the first door, his beefy hand on the door knob, beckoning me with his other hand to enter.  I instinctively knew the first door led to destruction when instantly I felt creepy crawlers down my spine.

When I landed on the top step, the hulking man tried to take hold of me, but I quickly ducked and side stepped him. The big gorilla went tumbling down onto the floor of the tunnel as if some invisible power had tossed him like a banana peel.

I opened the second door, which barely contained the radiant beams of light, and stepped inside. Waves of pure joy swept over me, washing and cleansing me from the filth of the arena. I fell to my knees as I beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  And there,  beneath His nail scarred feet, I surrendered all my fears and broken dreams.

Faith Noles is a retired Registered Nurse, wife, mother and grandmother who is passionate about spreading the gospel.