Slough of Despond

I was reading some material for another class today when I happened upon Pilgrim's Progress once again and it got me to thinking. I wrote about Pilgrim's progress in another blog, but I thought a little more about it and wanted to add some things.

I talked about the Slough of Despond and how Christian was not looking and fell into it. "Now I saw in my dream that, just as they had ended this talk, they drew near to a very miry slough that was in the midst of the plain; and they being heedless, did both fall suddenly into the bog. The name of the slough was "Despond." Here, therefore, they wallowed for a time, being grievously bedaubed with the dirt; and CHRISTIAN, because of the burden that was on his back, began to sink in the mire."

I thought about Augustine and he spent parts of his life in a slough of despond. He strove to gain what would not bring him life. "I panted for honors, for money, for marriage, and you were laughing at me. I found bitterness and difficulty in following these desires, and your and your graciousness to me was shown in the way you would not allow me to find anything sweet which was not you" (Book VI CH 6).

I believe I could make a case Dante too was in a slough of despond. He says, "Midway in our life's journey, I went astray from the straight road and woke to find myself alone in the dark wood. How shall I say what wood that was! I never saw so drear, so rank, so arduous a wilderness! It's very memory gives a shape to fear" (Canto I).

I too fell into the slough. I believed I could go to heaven on my own merit so I would try to act good enough to please God. I was a leagalist and a pharasee of sorts (a hypocrite). God pulled me out just as He did in all of the three cases above. Praise Him!