Not every treasure has a dragon, but every dragon has a treasure.

Many of life’s victories are overshadowed by the sense of the unknown.

I am currently working, living in a place I did not grow up in, studying a subject in hopes that one day it may lead to a good job (of which I have no idea what that is or where geographically it will be located), all while not being sure at all of what I really want to do. Opportunities have been laid at my feet, some of which I do not know if I am supposed to pursue or whether I should stay the course I felt called to and had originally planned for. In my personal life, many things present unknowns and bring about many questions. Questions about how the rest of my life may look if things were to go one way or the other.

My life’s trajectory seems to sit upon the edge of a blade, the narrow path as it were. A little change, but only a little straying from the path, and my life could end up in a completely different way than anyone could have anticipated. The unknown questions of my near future impose a weight upon my life that, if dwelt upon, could cripple me and deplete the very marrow from my bones.

Dear reader, here lies my dragon: the near unknown. If I surrender to this dragon and flee from its presence, I may never discover the treasure it harbors in its lair. But if and only if I strengthen myself, take courage, and march boldly forth into the lair of the dragon, the dark and horrifying place it may be, will I even have the opportunity to conquer it and to discover the gold that lies inside. There is one thing that I have had to strengthen myself and remind myself of about this marching forward into the dark: that I carry the Light with me, and the Light surrounds my way.

Plunging forward into the dark lair of the dragon, sliding through the damp crevices of the rock, feeling the darkness compress me, and the air hang thick. The anxious feelings that begin to harbor themselves deep inside of me, as if I were being followed. These feelings, small at first, grow into something much more as I continue to push forward into this darkness, never achieving a clearer path but only being led more and more into the unknown, now with every step farther and farther I go from the outside world, and the place that I know.

Oh, how these feelings are dispelled when you carry not only a sword alone, but a great blazing torch! For a sword is good, and albeit necessary for the task. But a torch, oh, a torch is something that cannot be overlooked. For even if you possess the courage but cannot see the way to go, your courage is wasted. And how will you know when you have entered the lair if lack the light to see it?

The Light that I have found and have strengthened myself with has helped me. Even as I go deeper and deeper into the lair of the dragon, my nature would have me anxious and doubtful about the entire mission, wanting to turn back and to forgo it all. But whenever I find myself in this doubt, I look around the cave in which I am in, and the darkness all around the outer edges, and on the path ahead, and behind. Then I bring my eyes closer and see how the Light creates a shroud around me, dispelling the darkness; It creates a place of safety for me. The Light it is a refuge for me. The Light engulfs my presence and surrounds me; it is up to me to acknowledge it and to find courage in its reality.

The Light not only shows me the way but is the way in and of itself. It reveals what is only a little way ahead of me, not the entire path. Only one step at a time. I do not know what treasure my dragon is hiding. And honestly, if you were to ask where I thought I would be in a year from now, or five years, or ten, I would not have an answer. But my Light will lead me, for it is unfailing, and I will take courage in my Light.

Dear reader, strengthen yourself in the Light, that you may be able to stand in the day of adversity. A dragon can not be slain by a scared, timid swordsman. But a swordsman who has taken courage and has strengthened himself before the confrontation may be able to stand.

Take courage, for we carry the Light with us, and the Light itself surrounds us, and the way ahead.

(Psalm 23:4) “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”

(Psalm 119:105) “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”