In the book the Princess and the Goblin, there is a little princess tucked away in a castle. While she has just about every toy imaginable to play with in her nursery, she is bored and would like some adventure. But her nurse keeps very close tabs on her and does not permit her out of her sight. One day, in her boredom, she sneaks away from her room and begins wandering through the castle. As she wanders up staircase after staircase and down hallway after hallway, she finds a door open. Inside she finds a beautiful old woman spinning at a wheel. The woman is kind and gentle and explains that she is her great, great, great, grandmother. But there is something magical about this woman. She understands why her nurse won’t let the princess out of the castle. But she also understands that there will inevitably be a time when the princess will be outside and alone so she gives her a special ring. The ring contains a magical thread that the princess is to take hold of if she ever gets into trouble. As long as she follows the thread she will find her way back to her great, great grandmother.

Sure enough, one day the princess finds herself in trouble. You see, the reason the princess has been kept under such close watch is because there are goblins that live under the mountains that are sworn enemies of the king. They would like nothing more than to get hold of his daughter. As the story unfolds, the princess finds herself down in the mine tunnels under the mountain and in great danger of being captured by the goblins. At the height of her fear she remembers her grandmother’s words and feels for the ring. She finds the thread, immensely strong but practically invisible, and begins to follow it. But in utter surprise, the thread leads not up toward the mine exit, but down, farther into the mountainside. It seems to lead into danger rather than from it. Nonetheless, she follows it relentlessly – even when it comes to a way blocked by fallen rocks. Carefully, she digs her way through and continues. Eventually, she makes it back to her great grandmother and to safety. At the time, the direction of the string didn’t make sense. It is only after she reaches her grandmother that she begins to understand the reasons for the strange path.

The story of Christian discipleship is a lot like this story. It doesn’t always lead us in the most logical directions and at times seems to take us more into trouble than out of it. It does not seem the most logical route to success and there are plenty of reasons – and opportunities – to look for shortcuts along the way. The story of Christian disciples requires faith in a God more wise than we are. The book of Job shows us that God.

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