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This is the tenth scene in my series of The Christian journey illustrations, which is set in a dark, gloomy pine forest, by the sea. Sunlight is peeking through the forest shadows, illuminating a small patch of the ground in the bottom middle of the picture. There are multiple pathways leading off in several different directions, representing alternate choices the characters in the scene can go. This is the second scene in the summer time set of 4 pictures.

As with many of the scenes I have drawn in this series, this picture shows multiple directions in which the woman with dark brown hair & a blue dress may go. As stated in previous pictures, these different pathways represent the various choices people have as they journey through their lives here on earth.

The woman is making her way through a dark forest, following a pathway marked out for her by the Lord God. She is not lost, but has entered a difficult &/or confusing part of her life, where the way forward seems less well defined. The dark forest represents that uncertainty and difficulty in her life.

As noted in the previous scene, this present picture reminds us that sometimes the going gets tough in our Christian life, and there is not an obvious “right” pathway to take. Perhaps in previous times (especially in her early Christian life), the woman experienced a clearer signal from God, telling her which way to go. As she matures in her faith (which the summer and autumn scenes represent), and grows deeper in her experience and understanding of God, paradoxically the way seems less clear, less certain. She needs to draw on more character strength from within herself; rely and lean more heavily on what she has read in the Bible, and has experienced and come to know about God, as she faces the tougher, more confusing times in her life.

Notice that the woman has come upon several other people in various conditions, which represent the temptations and dangers Christians can experience in some part of their lives here on earth:

Firstly there is a man who has stepped off the pathway & is sinking in quicksand. This represents a Christian who has “lost their way”, literally they have left the pathway marked out for them by the Lord God, and they have chosen to enter into some spiritually dangerous situation. This would not be an accident, because God promises never to leave us or forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5; Deuteronomy 31:6), and He also promises to send His Holy Spirit to be our councillor [1] & guide is (see John 14:16; 14:26; 16:7). Therefore, it was a deliberate, willful decision of the man’s , to step off the “right” pathway & go his own way. Fortunately for the sinking man, the woman in a blue dress has decided to stop, pick up a branch and rescue him out of the mess he has got himself into! This is one of the many benefits of belonging to a church of fellow Christians: we can help each other out when we need it. Conversely, someone on their own, going their own way, has no-one offering to help them out of danger.

Secondly there is a man sitting, leaning against a large green boulder looking very despondent. He represents a Christian who has encountered difficulty in his life, but instead of continuing on the Christian journey, he has decided to stop, and has given up altogether. This is a very real danger for Christians: giving up when the going gets especially tough. Our Lord hopes that the difficulties in life that we face & push forward through & above all overcome, will help to mature us & deepen our faith & trust in our heavenly Father. However, we can choose to give up, and stop moving forward in our faith journey; that option is always available to us, God won’t force us to grow & mature, that has to be our choice. I expect the woman in blue will encourage the slumped man & help him to continue on his journey of faith.

Thirdly there is a person climbing some large stone steps, disappearing further into the dark forest. The actual pathway (being successfully followed by the woman in a blue dress) that leads to success, is the one going down to the beach & the boat on the shore. The third person has missed God’s direction and is plunging further into the dark forest. Hopefully, sooner or later, that third person will realise that they have taken a wrong path, and will return to the right one. Although it is possible for their stubbornness or willfulness to carry them many miles in the wrong direction… God also allows that to happen, if we are determined to go our own way, rather than accepting His guidance!

A note about the boat!
When designing this scene I decided to put the little wooden boat in, resting on the sandy beach. I had already decided that the next scene would involve the woman & man sailing in rough waters, so it seemed appropriate to include it in this present scene as well.

Here’s the rough pencil sketch I drew for this scene.

The Christian journey – Scene 10 – Dark pathways (Female) – Greyscale Pencil

[1]
The original Greek term is “Parakletos”, which means someone called alongside to help. Para means “beside” or “alongside” while Kalein / Kletos means “to call” or “be invited”.