Shields in Switzerland

As the evening drew on in Switzerland,
and I wandered the winding streets,
I saw this exquisite painting adorning
an outside wall.

The soldier on the left looks, questioning
at the contemplative soldier in the midst.
The contemplative soldier has his red shod left foot
ready to step forward; the right foot, behind, hesitates

as he, deep in thought, ponders the right road to take.
The soldier on the right waits, questioning, and confident
in the leader's judgement, for the decision to be made;
and will follow, faithful and true, into whatever venture it takes him.

And as I wandered onwards in the bracing cool of the gathering evening,
I reflected on this exquisite painting. I do not know
what was in the artist's mind when creating this beauty,
but I do know what this tableau inspired within me.

Sometimes I am the one on the left, questioning
Looking to God for answers.
Sometimes I am the one in the middle,
confidently leading, weighing up the right decision to be made

What will be the outcome? What will the consequences be?
Which is the right road to take? Where are we going?
And at times, I am the one on the right. Trusting in others
to assist me on my road through life.

Even the outside walls in Switzerland glow with beauty, colour and grace.
One thing I did know, as I finished my quiet walk through the streets,
is that God will always guide us
when we question.
God will always assist us
when we lead.
And God will always protect us
when we follow.

We mightn't always get the decision right
We may take decisions that lead to the wisdom that we don't make that specific choice again
We may regret things we have done
and regret things we didn't do

But through it all
Gloriously and strong
God will be there to
Support us when we find the answers to the questions we posed;
God will be there
when we lead in our lives in our families/employment/vocational career
God will be there when
we follow others; sometimes wisely, sometimes not.

The story this lovely painting told me was
that, through it all,
God will always... always, be there.

Thank you to the artist, for blessing with your creation.'

*Photograph was taken by Catherine Nicolette