The Unknown Life
Life is hard when nobody knows your name.
Have you ever been rejected by people you wanted to get to know? Beyond surface friendships, we all long to be known. Known in the sense of being cared for, recognized, and respected. We want to share life together. But we’ve all felt lonely at times. When the people who are supposed to love us let us down by not spending time with us, or leaving our lives completely, that is hard.
If you have ever been left alone, or hit the ‘hard life’ head on, consider The Unknown’s story. He suffered pounding rejection. He knows the pain it causes first hand. However, he rose to the heights of happiness and beyond. How did he do it?
The Unknown’s secret calls out to us “follow me”. It’s the secret that unlocks our lasting happiness. But will we release ourselves to trust again? Everyone has a choice to make on this quest for lasting happiness. Shi was on the same journey towards The Unknown.
Village Life
Shi lived in a remote village made up of shabby wooden houses and clay brick streets. Fields of rice surround his village as far as the eye could see. A lot of space, but not much else. The sky was as empty as the people who lived there.
It was a shabby, but safe place. The only home Shi had ever known. Shi’s father Mada adopted him and raised him to be an honorable young man. Mada sat with Shi every night, by the light of a kerosene lamp, reading to his son just as his wife Triti had done before her death two years before. Mada wanted Shi to have a memorial of his mother that couldn’t be taken away. The ability to connect himself to the rest of the world through words was always top of mind for Triti. Mada exhausted himself to ensure Shi remembered the power of words.
Shi’s life seemed sentenced to hard labor without the possibility of reward. He endured physical labor farming rice all day-every day. Watering, fertilizing, weeding: the work never stopped. It was a hard life for a teenager. Every hand was needed.
In the few free moments to himself, Shi lived through adventures in a book his father Mada had given him as a child. There were no schools to speak of in the village.
Shi read rich stories about kings and all sorts of things. He travelled to different worlds in this book. Launching into adventure after adventure through the lives of the book’s characters. And as fun and sometimes strange as the stories were, they seemed to point ahead. They suggested something bigger, something different; someone unknown and yet always know. Someone who lived as a king in a breathtaking place, but gave it all up. The Unknown endured extreme poverty so that others could gain from his riches.
Shi was also a natural athlete and was sometimes seen playing and running around with the other kids. But that stopped soon enough. By days end, the heavy burden of work wore down their strength. By the end of the day, all that remained was a faint reminder of earlier laughter.
The Sting of Death
Shi’s life takes a sudden turn when his father Mada died. Truth be told—it was a very dark day because all of the fathers in the village died. Darkness engulfed all surrounding villages as death ravaged the men of the unique universe. Angel rode on wings of dark clouds that covered the unique universe. Amongst the seemingly magnificent contrast of beauty and light, Angel led legions of phantoms pouring out darkness, seeking the very souls of villagers. Young men like Shi were abandoned in an instant. Imagine if you were in Shi’s shoes, where would you go, what would you do, and who would you see? The silence of the village was strange and haunting. It was as if the storm of life had ripped through every village, shredding them completely.
Into the Heart of Darkness
Walking out to the remains of a familiar wooden shed lit by a kerosene lamp, Shi savored the lasting smells of Mada’s pipe. Near a broken workbench he found a cryptic note that Mada left him before he died. Mada liked leaving things for Shi to find. Mada wrote that Shi must travel into the heart of darkness to meet a ‘man on mission’ heading the same way. This man was called The Unknown.
Mada said The Unknown carried a powerful secret that would reunite people all around the world one day. Shi was uncertain of what awaited him, he had never been outside of his village. Despite the uncertainty and danger he had to make it to this mysterious place. Shi was filled with fear, but he had to leave.
Shi was terrified, but his father’s final words echoed in his mind, rising up from his heart. Was he the one to save the children in his village? Could The Unknown bring Mada back from death? What about the other fathers?
These thoughts were swirling around in Shi’s head. Unsure of the dangers ahead, Shi was filled with fear and doubt. He struggled to push Mada’s mission out of his mind every day, overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. His limited love for his village brothers kept him from acting on his father’s wish. He knew better than to not carry out his dad’s desire, but reality wrestled Shi’s good intention, slamming it to the ground.
He wanted to honor his father’s last words, but fears about finding The Unknown pinned him down. It was too large a task. He couldn’t seem to move forward. He knew what was right, but he wasn’t ready. Worse still, Shi felt empty. How could he give what he didn’t have? He was torn and couldn’t make up his mind.
Wise Woman
One day a wise woman named Meche visited Shi’s village from nearby. She helped him see his father’s call from a different perspective. She encouraged Shi to head towards the heart of darkness, telling him that while he lacked the strength and courage to be the hero of his quest, The Unknown would show him a different way to lasting happiness. Meche gave Shi a special gift and sent him on his way anticipating an encounter with The Unknown.
Underground Darkness
Meche led Shi to the entrance of underground tunnels below the unique universe. She took him down, down, down towards the heart of darkness. Shi followed Meche’s instructions and went down into the depths of the darkness. He crept down the winding staircase and into an underground world filled with mystery and danger. Shi was shaking with fear as he moved deeper, but he found strength in what Meche had said:
“You will face many dangers. Watch out for Angel’s dark forces. A treacherous journey lies ahead of you, but trust this: The Unknown will meet you on the mission.”
Shi had no idea what that meant, but somehow he felt a sense of comfort.
As he walked through the damp underground passages his footsteps echoed in the dark silence. He heard steps behind him … his heart sank. Shi wasn’t a fighter so whatever was coming for him would quickly overtake him. Mada mentioned a day of trouble. Was this it? As the steps grew louder he heard a voice whispering, “Hide him, please hide him, hide him in the secret place … please”.
He turned to see the ground open up but he is instantly riding atop what felt like a giant hamster wheel rotating higher and higher until it came to rest on a rock high above. Beyond the reach of darkness, phantoms poured from the tunnel walls underneath him. He heard one hideously screaming
“I will ascend, I will rise, I will rise above”.
The air was bone chilling cold, the stench of the phantoms was worse than a thousand rotten eggs blown at the same time. In the dark Shi struggled for breath. He shut his eyes hoping these phantoms would slither back into the heart of darkness, or wherever foul place they came from. Would Shi see The Unknown? Was he hidden in this secret place to encounter The Unknown?
He opened his eyes in anticipation and heard a young woman asking, “Are you okay?”
“I think so,” said Shi.
“My name is Jayni.”
He reasoned that she was trustworthy.
She spoke with boldness, “This is a terrible time to travel alone in the tunnels. Where are you heading anyway?”
“I’m supposed to go to the heart of darkness and meet a man on mission called The Unknown. I’m guessing he will look like a king or something, but I’m not sure.”
Jayni smiles, “The Unknown’s beauty and power radiate from from the lasting love that he gives and is,” she said with a sweet smile.
“I’m told it glows from his secret. I’m not sure, but I don’t think he forces himself on people. I don’t know but maybe he wouldn’t even stand out in a crowd?”
‘Lasting love glowing from a secret?’ dang Jayni, you sure seem to know a lot about The Unknown, have you met him?”
“Well, I’ve never seen him, but I trust him.”
“Why?” Shi asked
“It’s a long story,” Jayni said.
“I promise to keep it a secret.” said Shi.
“Well, okay. But it’s not pretty.”
“I had a family member that I never knew. He was a bad man. The kind of man that would make you work for years towards a dream only he could fulfill and then break his promise at the last moment. I am the child of that brokenness.
My dad’s dream was to find a wife from extended relatives living in a distant land. He journeyed towards the people of the east and finally met his uncle. His uncle had 2 daughters. The youngest daughter was beautiful in every way. The older daughter…well, she wasn’t pretty. My mom was his oldest daughter. And as you can see, I look like her.
But my dad loved the youngest daughter and agreed to work for his uncle for seven years if he could just marry his beautiful younger daughter. The seven years flew by because my dad really loved the younger daughter and couldn’t wait to marry her and live with her his entire life.
But after seven years, my dad’s uncle did something terribly wrong. It was so sneaky and selfish. After the long awaited wedding banquet, he secretly gave away his oldest daughter in the dark of night (the not so good looking one).
Because of Angel’s pitch darkness, my dad thought it was the love of his life, the beautiful younger daughter. He found out in the morning that it wasn’t. And that’s how I was born.
“Oh sighed Shi, I’m…
Jayni politely interrupted,
“But it’s okay because when I met The Unknown, he showed me that he already knew me. He accepted me as I am. He loves me. I am known and loved because of The Unknown.”
“What’s in that pouch of yours?” Jayni giggled, awkwardly trying to change the subject.
“It’s a gift from a really nice lady named Meche,” says Shi.
“Well…aren’t you gonna open it?” Jayni asked playfully.
“I guess so.”
Shi carefully pulls opens the strings on the red velvet pouch and finds a very small book.
“Hey this looks like my book from home. It’s the exact same one my dad used to read to me when I was a young, just smaller.”
“Hmmm … Meche sounds wise” said Jayni.
“Why’s that?” asked Shi.
“You don’t want anything you can’t quickly hide in these tunnels. She gave you a map to see the mystery unfold for yourself. How to meet The Unknown and learn of his secret. It’s in there. I read it. All of it. It’s all in there. The phantoms believe the words of this book that say The Unknown, The One and Wind and Fire are actually united as one. That makes them tremble.”
“Huh…mystery, secret, lasting love, 3 united in one? Jayni, this is all too much. My head is spinning,” said Shi.
“Don’t worry, we have to go now.” Jayni said.
“But who is The One? What is Wind and Fire?” asked Shi.
“Come on, it’s getting cold again, we gotta move!” said Jayni.
Shi and Jayni continued their journey together heading deeper into the underground tunnels. Shi tucked the small book in his pocket for safekeeping.
As they walked, Jayni told Shi about her own mission to find The Unknown, explaining that she too had been led to the tunnels by a mysterious message when her father passed away suddenly. She just seemed guided there. They walk for hours, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing through dark passages.
As they near what they think is the heart of darkness, flickering torches light the cave walls, revealing a large cavern. They hear a faint hum in the distance. Jayni tells Shi that it might be the sound of Angel’s dark forces, warning him,
“be careful,” she says.
Shi nervously clutches the small book in his pocket, feeling the weight of his father’s last wish on his shoulders.
The Unknown
They reach a large cavern. A group of men are gathered around a large fire. One of them steps forward. “Shi, I am The Unknown,” he says. “Hello, Jayni.”
How did he know my name Shi wondered.
The Unknown looked to be a modest man with nothing impressive or attractive about his appearance. His hands were calloused and rough. Sometimes when people don’t look or act a certain way, it’s easy to reject them, forgetting about them completely. But when The Unknown shared his passion for his mission that would make all things new, Shi saw him in a new light. He taught them truth that no one ever did.
He spoke of his home. It wasn’t the cavern, nor the tunnels. It wasn’t even in this unique universe.
“It is perched on top of a great and high mountain and contains a square shaped city with many spacious homes in it. The walls are higher than anything you have ever seen, measuring about 1,400 miles high and 200 feet thick.”
You could sense The Unknown’s delight as he described it.
The Unknown’s home shines like a brilliant light and every detail fits perfectly in place. Everything in his unique universe seems to somehow stick together by his words and desires. You might compare his home to an excited bride dressed in a dazzling wedding dress, but way more beautiful than anything ever seen.
“It is a sparkling place that shines brilliantly. The walls contain colorful stones—every kind of jewel you can imagine. Overall, it looks like clear glass, but it’s thick and secure with gates that never close,” said The Unknown.
“I’m getting ahead of myself”, said The Unknown.
The Unknown loves to imagine, invent, design and build just like he did when he spoke his vision for his home to life. Creating good things with endless possibilities gives him great pleasure.
He would bring his home down to the unique universe, at just the right time when all things finally work together for the good for those who trust him. No one will be disappointed there.
“I wish I could live there” Shi thought to himself.
The Unknown smiled saying: “I almost forget to mention the beautiful sounds coming from my home. Oh the many sounds! Some exciting, like the roar of rushing waters; some mighty like loud peals of thunder; and many peaceful like harpists playing beautifully.”
Jayni treasured each word and Shi was interested but he was struggling to wrap his head around this place. He’d never heard anything like it. But, he had to think it through. “How is one accepted here?” He thought
The Unknown continued, “As great as these sounds are, they do not compare with the songs coming from my throne. These songs are sung by those who know me. I know those who belong to me. They will be with me in a place without shadows, sadness, crying, pain or even death.” At that point, both Shi and Jayni’s jaws drop open in wonder. They’d seen a lot of death, cried many nights enveloped in darkness since Angel descended. The darkness wouldn’t lift.
Just then the tunnels start to shake and groan like they were in pain waiting for freedom from darkness.
The Unknown continues to tell them about a captivating river flowing right down the middle of the street with a breathtaking tree that stretches to both sides of the river. The leaves on the tree seem almost magical as they bring forth healing for the all those who live in the Unknown’s home! Never to be banished from this beautiful place again.
“Where is this place?” thought Shi. But Jayni was fixed on the peace and happiness that The Unknown spoke of for those who trusted in him.
The tremors in the tunnels grew worse. The cavern was now slamming up and down violently.
The Unknown lived in a place without time, but the intensifying tremors below combined with the animal groans above reminded him that the hour for completing The One’s mission was close at hand. The secret to The Unknown successfully completing the mission was set in advance by The One.
“I love my father, and obey him.” said The Unknown. Shi respected that. After all … he stepped foot into these dank tunnels for his dad.
Likewise, The One never failed his only son because of the everlasting love they shared. In fact they were so close that if you were to look into the eyes of The Unknown you would see The One too.
The acceptance and love they shared was beyond this world. The One knew his son would not back down when asked to go down to the unique universe on mission. This mission was no ordinary one, for it meant descending towards the heart of darkness and risking life itself. Yet his son did not back away from the challenge. He was determined to fulfill this dangerous and necessary task.
Wind & Fire
Just then the Fire that Shi and Jayni were standing near started to blaze and move powerfully up the cavern walls like a tapestry of light. Wind and Fire has a few different names. His very existence seemed to stretch into infinity and beyond as he worked to carry out his mysterious purpose alongside The One and The Unknown. Shi struggled to see what that purpose was.
Wind and Fire spoke,
“I do many things, but I’ll start with two. First, I encourage people living in the unique universe to believe in The Unknown’s never ending love for them. You see, this love is not a matter of mere words, but combines powerful actions as well. Secondly, I guide the lost and broken out of their suffering into a place of restoration by trusting in The Unknown. Trusting includes turning from what humans in the unique universe do and who they are. Much more than a makeover, people are made new by The Unknown’s secret.” And this was the cost of The Unknown’s mission.
Lighting Up the Heart of Darkness
The time had come for The Unknown’s lasting love to light up the heart of darkness. Including every centimeter of the unique universe. The tunnels quaked and phantoms moaned in fear of him.
But The Unknown was just as human as you and I. Like Shi, he had to chose to pursue the mission. However, no one else could have been chosen for The Unknown’s mission. He had to commit to finishing it. The souls of those who would trust him hung in the balance. He didn’t want to use his secret and asked The One if another way was possible. At the end of the day, The Unknown knew he was the only way.
He knew his ultimate goal: to spread The One’s love throughout the unique universe, defeating the heart of darkness, defeating Angel and all of his phantoms, while reuniting loved ones who trusted in him no matter the cost. The tremors grew stronger. The walls cracked and rumbled with the sound of a thousand elephants stampeding. Phantoms were shifting between the tunnels. The walls were cracking, the room groaning in protest. The cavern partially collapsed.
The Unknown closed his eyes and concentrated on the task at hand. Shi’s entire body was trembling as he thought the tunnels would cave in on them just as half of the cavern tried to do. The Unknown remained calm. His face like a rock focused soley on the mission because he knew The One helped him.
Heavy Mission—Secret Victory
Suddenly, a blinding light enveloped The Unknown, and he was taken up to the heart of darkness, nicked named ‘the skull’. His time had come. He opened his eyes to see a steep hill. He knew his mission had just begun. And it was heavy under the deepest darkness.
The Unknown strained to put one foot in front of the other. He moved slowly up that hill, each step more demanding than the next. His hands shredding as he gripped his secret victory. Blood running down his body, he could feel the presence of evil all around him, lurking in the shadows. Phantoms, terrors and all manner of darkness had assembled to watch this.
But The Unknown was not afraid. He knew The One was with him every step of the way, until he couldn’t be. Meanwhile, Wind and Fire was resting on those who believed in The Unknown even as he suffered to climb to the top of deep darkness. So much was happening.
“Where is your happiness”? cried the terrors
“How will this make you happy?” taunted the phantoms.
The Unknown continued trudging up the hill, each step more painful than the last. He steadily made his way towards the skull while looking way beyond it towards lasting happiness. As he approached, he could hear whispers in the air, growing louder and shifting into low growls as he got closer. He felt a chill spread through his body as the cries grew louder. All the while, The One seemed distant … silent.
The Unknown did not falter. He knew that he had to complete the mission, secret in hand.
The Unknown finally reached the top of the hill and looked down into the valley below. He saw Angel, his terrors and phantoms waiting for him, their eyes glowing with malice and hatred. The air was thick with the stench of evil, and The Unknown could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
Would The Unknown unleash his secret power by sending wave after wave of energy crashing down on his foes? What about flames bursting from his fingertips knocking Angel back to the lake of fire? Would he pummel these hordes of hell back below? None of that happened.
The pounding in the Unknown’s chest gave way to the whack of metal spikes that pierced through his hands and feet as he laid himself on his secret. He cried out to The One in a loud voice and for the first time ever, The Unknown was rejected by The One as darkness intensified for 3 hours.
The Unknown’s Secret
Forsaken to die a bloody death on a cross. His secret was his cross. He died in total humility, completely rejected, crushed by The One on behalf of Shi, Jayni, you and me. Crushed to pay for our sins. He was rejected and left alone, so we don’t have to be. There is no greater love than that.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
Some people in the unique universe were in awe. They had heard of The Unknown’s sacrifice, but to witness the power of his love firsthand seeing him walking and talking with people after rising to life 3 days later was something else entirely. The love radiating from The Unknown was so strong that it spread to every corner of the unique universe.
Jayni was overwhelmed with emotions. Shi was granted insight into this mystery to see the power of The Unknown’s secret. His mind was moving a million kilometers an hour trying to process what just happened. They had followed The Unknown’s heartbreaking and inspiring journey to the heart of darkness and watched him return to them after rising from death. Heartbreaking in the sense of knowing how much he sacrificed to find Shi, Jayni, and us.
Shi was able to trust again knowing that The Unknown would never leave him or forget about him. Both Shi and Jayni knew that they had to spread the message of The Unknown’s love to everyone in the unique universe. They were gripped by love—compelled by his secret cross. Anything that they could give simply paled in comparison.
They started by telling their close friends and family about The Unknown’s sacrifice. They shared his story, his mission, and what his love accomplished through his death and resurrection. Slowly but surely, the message spread. People from every corner of the universe began to hear about The Unknown’s love and his sacrifice.
As the message spread, their hearts began to change. They started to see the world in a different light, because of The Unknown’s lasting love that never disappoints demonstrated through his secret. How would Shi to be reunited with Mada?
That’s coming up next. Thank you for reading The Unknown’s Secret.
