The River: Chap 6 - Deliverance | Story & Reflection

In Deliverance, an unexpected reunion in a grocery store rekindles a deep spiritual hunger. One woman, weary of living by others’ expectations, dares to dream of following the river beyond the safety of her familiar life. Her longing for more than “temporary satisfaction” becomes a call to awaken—to trust the pull of the soul toward the Source.

This story invites you to reflect on the courage it takes to leave behind what’s comfortable to discover what’s truly alive within you.

Background music by Liborio Conti.

Transcript

Welcome to The River,

A parable of the Holy Spirit.

My name is Judy,

And I am the author of this story.

I'm honored to walk alongside you here.

In this journey,

We'll meet Spirit,

The living,

Creative pulse of the Divine that moves through all things.

Spirit is the source of all that is.

It flows within every cell of your body,

Weaves through every molecule in the world,

Lives inside every experience and hums within every person.

It's always present,

Always inviting,

Always guiding.

Before we enter the story,

Let's take a moment to center ourselves and listen.

Find a posture that feels natural and safe.

Close your eyes if that feels right.

Take a slow,

Deep breath in and let it drift out gently.

Let your shoulders soften,

Your jaw release.

Let your mind calm like still water.

Imagine yourself sitting on the soft edge of a riverbank.

Hear the water as it moves,

Subtle yet unstoppable.

Feel Spirit flowing around you,

Through you,

And within you,

Carrying a quiet readiness,

A soft openness.

You don't need to force anything.

Simply allow yourself to be here.

To receive,

To be present.

Let your heart and mind relax into the rhythm of this gentle current.

The river is ready,

Spirit is here,

And you are ready to meet them.

Let's begin.

Chapter 6 – Deliverance That actually seems like a very reasonable price,

I thought,

As I picked up the package of coffee.

As I mulled over which brand would be best,

I heard a familiar voice from the next aisle.

Are you sure you can't go any lower?

She said.

I turned and walked around to see who it was.

As soon as I saw her face,

I recognized her.

From the way her face went from disbelief to surprise to happiness,

I could tell she recognized me too.

Oh my gosh,

She said,

Momentarily forgetting the store employee.

I can't believe I've run into you again.

We hugged and she stepped back.

What have you been doing since Ebb and Flow?

Well,

Traveling,

I guess,

I said.

The store employee paused a moment,

Unsure of what he should do.

She suddenly remembered him.

You know what,

It's okay,

I'll take twelve at that price.

He nodded and left,

I assumed to get her items from the back room.

What have you been doing since Ebb and Flow,

I asked.

Same things I was doing before,

Same thing I always seem to be doing.

She sounded like she was frustrated with the same old thing and didn't know how to escape.

You don't sound happy about it.

I'm not,

Well,

I guess I don't know,

She said.

It's not bad,

It's just not right,

I guess,

If that makes any sense.

The employee returned with a box filled with twelve large bags of rice.

She waved for him to put it into her cart.

Wow,

That's a lot of rice.

Yeah,

My parents are doing a charity drive that has a Chinese theme,

They need lots of rice for the food.

I was hoping to get a better price,

But I guess this will have to do.

I nodded in understanding.

So what's not right about things?

I asked,

Returning to the conversation.

I,

Well,

It's hard to put my finger on.

I feel like I'm doing all the things I'm supposed to do,

But it's not enough.

I keep wondering when it'll kick in,

When I'll be satisfied.

I tried talking to my pastor about it,

But he just told me that I needed to do more things and get more involved in church stuff.

My parents keep wanting to pray for me,

And that's great and all,

But it doesn't help me.

I walk around feeling like I'm going through the motions.

We were walking through the store as she pulled different things from the shelves and put them into her cart.

Maybe it's just the comparison.

What do you mean?

She stopped and looked at me.

I mean,

Every year when we come back from Ebb and Flow,

We're all so excited.

It's like everything is so clear.

I'm flying on cloud nine,

Above it all.

Before too long,

I crash down to earth,

Hard.

I'm yelling at my parents and grumpy about everything.

I don't want to sit in the church pew listening to another message about how to be a good person.

I don't even really want to be a good person.

I feel like I'm starving,

And when I ask for food,

I get a tiny carrot and a piece of apple.

That may be enough for everyone else,

And it seems to be,

But I'm still hungry.

I don't know what to do,

But I can't imagine how I'm going to live the rest of my life starving like this.

I thought for a moment and then asked,

Have you ever thought about following the river past Ebb and Flow?

She looked at me in silence for a few seconds before shaking her head.

It would never be allowed.

I've asked my pastor about taking the young people further down the river,

And he said it was dangerous.

He said that the river is unpredictable and only experienced people,

Such as himself,

Can handle it.

He told me it would be different if one of the boys wanted to lead a group because boys are stronger and ready for that sort of thing.

Unfortunately,

None of the boys want to go.

They all seem satisfied with their lives.

They would never let me go by myself.

Why do you need their permission?

She started to say something and stopped.

Well,

I mean,

Girls can't do that sort of thing.

Can they?

I've never known a woman who traveled the river alone.

I've never known a woman who left town,

To be honest.

What if something bad happens?

Bad things can happen whether you're a man or a woman.

I'll be honest,

Most of following the river is common sense.

Don't irritate the bears,

Make sure your camp is on stable ground,

Don't be loud and attract a lot of attention,

Buy supplies when you need them,

Drink lots of water.

The rest you learn as you go.

Since you're close to the river,

There are lots of towns along the way,

Full of people you can ask if you don't know something.

She looked at me as if a door had opened and she hadn't even known it was there.

Where would I go?

One of the people I ran into,

Silas,

Told me that the river leads to the source no matter which way you take.

If you follow the river,

You'll end up at the source.

The source,

She whispered almost in awe.

That would be amazing.

Surely I'd have to be satisfied there,

Don't you think?

I think that if you're going to be satisfied anywhere,

It would have to be there,

I confirmed.

Her eyes,

Which had been somewhat dreamy,

Suddenly snapped into focus as she looked at me.

That's what I'm going to do,

She said.

There was a note of finality in her voice like it was decided.

I can't stay here anymore.

It's not enough for me.

I want more of what I feel in ebb and flow.

I want that connection with the river and I'm not going to find it playing safe and doing what's expected.

I need to find the source and find out what I need to do to live life satisfied instead of just experiencing temporary satisfaction.

She took my hands in hers and smiled at me.

Thank you for telling me about this.

I don't know that I would have made the connection on my own.

I'm sorry.

I'd love to stay and talk.

I really would.

But I have a lot of things to get ready if I'm going to follow the river.

She turned and walked away,

Leaving her cart in the middle of the store.

As I watched her walk away,

I thought about how much I admired her for being willing to leave everything just to satisfy the hunger in her soul.

That's the kind of hunger that gets satisfied,

I thought,

Because it won't accept not being satisfied.

The woman in deliverance wasn't running away.

She was running towards something her soul could finally taste.

The hunger she spoke of wasn't about food.

It was the soul's hunger to live fully awake.

Maybe we all feel that at some point,

That quiet ache that whispers,

There's got to be more than this.

And maybe the courage to follow it is what begins every true journey toward the source.

As you sit with this story,

Take a slow breath and reflect.

Where in your life have you been doing all the right things,

Yet still felt spiritually hungry?

What would it look like to trust that hunger instead of trying to silence it?

Whose permission have you been waiting for,

And what would happen if you stopped waiting?

When you imagine following your own river toward the source,

What feelings arise?

If this chapter stirred something in you,

I'd love to hear what part of the story reflected your own hunger for more.

You can share your thoughts in the comments.

Each reflection adds another drop to the current of understanding that connects us all.

If you'd like to help keep the river flowing,

You can tap follow.

Every gesture of support helps these stories reach more hearts,

And I am deeply grateful for that.

Until next time,

May your hunger lead you home to yourself,

And may the river remind you that you are already on your way to the source.