By William Cooper
Now, let’s enjoy a few minutes of spiritual rest and relaxation in the form of a guided visualization. It is called “The Walk”. It takes about five minutes, so assume a comfortable position. Take a few deep, slow breaths to relax and establish an inner calm.
Imagine you are attending a spiritual retreat and you are walking with a new friend in a park-like place along a small stream. It is a perfect spring day. The temperature is just right. The breeze gently caresses your arms and face as you walk. The sky is an extraordinary blue with a few fluffy white clouds slowly drifting by. There are flowers here and there and the colors and fragrances fill your heart with joy. The breeze gently moves the flowers and grass and rustles the young leaves on the trees. Ahead you see a stream winding through the valley. You descend to walk in the shade along the water’s edge.
As you walk, you chat with your friend about your appreciation of the beauty and the renewal of spring time. You feel thankful to your Heavenly Father for having created such beauty to share with you. Your conversation turns to thoughts of Jesus and what his life was like 2000 years ago in a land much like this. As you pause by a huge spreading tree at the edge of the stream, your friend remarks, “Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to have lived then and to have walked and talked with Jesus. Then you could really know him instead of just knowing about him.”
As you proceed, you hear footsteps of another walker on the path and you hear his rich voice call to you, “My friends, may I walk with you for a while.” You turn to see a young man approaching from the far side of the tree you have just passed. There is friendliness in his smile and in his eyes. You gesture for him to follow, and you reply, “Yes, come with us while we walk and visit.”
As the three of you climb the stream bank ahead, the young man says, “I heard you talking about Jesus, and so I wanted to join you. You know, you are not limited to merely knowing about Jesus. You can come to know him even better than those who walked and talked with him 2000 years ago.”
“ How can that be?” you ask with great interest as you invite your friends to rest under a large oak tree on a high bank overlooking the pale aquamarine pools of the stream. As you sit in the sun-speckled shade of the tree, your new friend replies, “Jesus loved all people with an astonishing and generous love. He loved them so much that when he departed, he sent his Spirit of Truth to teach and befriend all who sincerely desire to know him.” The young stranger is silent for a moment as he stares into the distance with a smile. Then he picks up a twig and marks in the dirt at his feet before he continues. “It’s easy to know Jesus. Just imagine he is present and talk to him about anything that is important in your life. He is genuinely interested. Then imagine what his response will be. Remember, he loves you and longs for you to know him and his response will reflect that.”
Then the young man stands to depart. As you rise to say goodbye, you look directly into his eyes. Suddenly you are aware—this is Jesus. His eyes smile as he says, “Yes” and as he puts his arms around you, he says “Farewell for now my new friend, but remember my words.” As he walks away, he disappears into golden white light. On the ground you notice the words he wrote in the dust—and they are, “I will never forsake you.”
For several moments you think about Jesus. Could this miracle of contact in spirit have really happened? Is Jesus here in spirit now? Can you really know him? But you cannot disbelieve because the promise written in the dust is now written in your heart. “I will never forsake you.”
9-10-1993 William Cooper