Once Upon a Cracked Case: Lessons from the Lizard and the Archer
- giraffevisionx2
- May 18
- 5 min read
So, the other day, Wednesday afternoon in fact, I was doing chores by our friends’ place. You would like it. Their home faces a mountain. When you go to the verandah and look from left to right, you see the expanse of the sky and the mountain range embracing you till your eyesight lands on the sea that kisses the horizon way out there.
As is customary, I was listening to a book being read. This time it was E.M. Bounds’. And, right at the opening chapter, I was nicked. Yes, I was nicked by the words, “I am passing through life as an arrow through the air”.
Stick a pin*.
Yes, just stick a pin right there suh!
The Sliver that Stings
Have you ever been nicked by a sliver of grass? You know that unwitting sharp sliver that would go unnoticed had it not been for the sting? Makes you have to pause, doesn’t it? And, when you look, you see the sharp, clean cut.
Oddly enough, looking at it, makes you teeter between the next steps. Should you touch it, clean it or leave it to heal naturally? One thing is sure, once acknowledged, that very small cut becomes a part of your reality even if no one else knows about it. It may affect the way you move. Or, in the ensuing hours you catch yourself trying not to rub the area,
Well, same way suh, right at the opening chapter, I was nicked.by the words, “I am passing through life as an arrow through the air”.
Simple. Isn’t it? Simple.
Lovely imagery.
Great word picture! Don't it?
Only, the 1st sting came when I recalled that our sister had passed away that very morning. Bear in mind that, for more than a year she has been battling her illness. She was coursing through life as best she could. And, just as ordinarily, her arrow crossed over to the other side. It finally landed.
Even though there was no international news headline like that for the famous Pope Francis, she lived a life of significance. So, her disappearance affects a number of persons…even if no one else sees the sliver.
I heaved a breath and looked outside towards the mountains facing our home. I imagined all of us in the air like a volley of arrows.
We each are moving from here to there in time.
Some are whizzing.
Some are hustling.
Some are bumbling.
Some are aimless or misguided.
Some are meandering.
Some are steady.
And, depending on the wind current,
a few may be dizzy.
Not so?
Yes, each of us is moving from here to there in the sky of life. Some of us started a while ago and others decades ago. Some of us know the highs and lows. Aaaaiii, thats how it goes.
The Archer and the Quiver
Then, I remembered Isaiah 49:2. Ever since reading the book Deeper Level by Israel Houghton I have had a peculiar love for it. Houghton expands the metaphor of the arrow. He explains that God is an archer and each of us is in his quiver.
He highlights the importance of the polished shaft. The regular and deliberate rubs from the archer are both uncomfortable and loving. To truly hit the target, time must be spent beforehand rubbing, bending, pulling and shooting the arrow. At the pivotal moment, when released, it will fly with precision and grace. An unyielding arrow will be unsteady. This regular and intentional "rubbing" is the precursor to fulfilling purpose.
I also like the Isaiah 49:2 verse because of the proximity of the quiver to the archer’s body. It is a sign of their bond. I, the arrow, may not always see his face or know his thoughts, but I am valued.
I am known.
I am ready.
He is mine and I am His.
Sometimes, I may feel stuck but,
in truth, I am never abandoned.
All this pause made me stop to revisit the line. That's when I realised that it is actually an 18th century quote from John Wesley. He said,
“ I have thought I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God; just hovering over the great gulf, till a few moments hence I am no more seen. I drop into an unchangeable eternity!
Hmmmm, the context shifted my thoughts. “I am” speaks to my present reality. It also speaks to design and the relationship between time and eternity. I had to pause and rub these thoughts.
Shedding the Worn Case:
Picture this: going outside and seeing a garden lizard scurrying away. Tell me, does the lizard, bursting out of its coat, run away because it fears the gargantuan-human?
Or, does it run away because it is embarrassed by its ugly growth phase?
Sometimes, I wonder if when we leave this life it's like a lizard bu’sting out of its skin.
Is dying the process of breaking out into something new?
Then again, I wonder whether dying is more akin to leaving a case that has been worn down and out. Yes- the treadmill, the pain, the upheavals, the discomfiture, the dis and the dat create tears, fissures or holes even. Landing into eternity requires another body that is invisible to the earthlings. It is also a better case for our spirits.
So, coming back to my sister who passed away and the arrow, I now feel that one way or the other her arrow has landed in a more comfortable and attractive phase. I envisioned
the lithe arrow
steadily coursing through the cool,
misty air with the
majestic mountains and the
Caribbean sea as witness.
The horizon saw her move into another dimension.
It must be a wondrous experience to realise you are no longer bound by time.
I imagine her being picked up on the other side.
Being held.
Being admired.
The glint of her sharp point
being just so!
The Piercing Point
Oooo la laaa! Note the joyous shivers in the quiver when she reunites with loved ones there. I also imagine her being ready to welcome each of us to the new home too. What do you say to that? How do you feel?
It must all be mysteriously amazing! And yet, those of us who view her empty sheath feel the sting within. We dither between memories, conversations or the bills.
Strangely, it is a comforting sting though. The neat bloodline will heal. It becomes a part of my present reality in the ensuing days and years.
Add to that knowledge the extraordinary way that you and I will influence the people and places we leave behind. For example: consider that we will never meet E. M. Bounds and John Wesley. They lived at least 2 centuries ago. Yet their words are the reason for this blog. What do you hope you will leave behind when you streak the air?
Hmm, life is between boundaries. You know, its the dash between then and now.* Some dash through it and some dash it whe’*. Whatever the case may be, let's be aware of our value- even when we are being ‘rubbed”. Daily, let us resolve to strike the target. After all, that's the reason each arrow has a point, nuh true?
Stick a pin means to pause so we can talk about something else and then return to that point.
dash whe' means to throw away or spill.
Linda Ellis' poem The Dash Between
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