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b'As Ronan neared the end of his journey, he entered the Valley of the Shadow. It was so dark he could barely make out the path. The moon hid behind the clouds, casting weird shadows on the waving grass. Empty moans emanated from the\\xa0trees that covered the cliffs and encroached on\\xa0the valley\\u2019s winding path. Ronan\\u2019s heart thumped, and his knees felt weak.\\xa0\\u201cShadows can\\u2019t hurt anyone,\\u201d\\xa0he told himself.\\xa0\\u201cShadows can\\u2019t hurt anyone.\\u201d\\n\\u201cRonan?\\u201d a voice called from the darkness. For a second, Ronan\\u2019s heart almost stopped, but then he recognized the familiar voice.\\n\\u201cTeacher!\\u201d Ronan said, his voice shaking. \\u201cIt\\u2019s so good to see You\\u2014or at least, it\\u2019s good to hear You. It\\u2019s so dark, I can hardly see anything.\\u201d\\n\\u201cI know. I\\u2019ve been walking with you the whole time,\\u201d the Teacher said, His words surrounding Ronan like an embrace. \\u201cI will be with you as you walk through this darkest of valleys.\\u201d\\nWith the Teacher beside him, Ronan\\u2019s fears began to quiet. At times, he even felt like the shadows were friendly, and the sounds no longer made him quake. Even though Ronan couldn\\u2019t see Him, he could feel the Teacher\\u2019s presence. He knew that no matter what happened on his journey across the Valley of the Shadow, the Teacher would be with him.\\xa0\\u2022 A. W. Smith\\n\\u2022 This story is an allegory. In Psalm 23, David writes about \\u201cthe valley of the shadow of death\\u201d (verse 4). Do you know someone who is dying? Do you ever feel afraid of dying yourself?\\n\\u2022 Read Matthew 28:20 and then Psalm 23. For a Christian, death is like a shadow. As Psalm 23 says, we don\\u2019t have to fear death because Jesus is with us. He is the Teacher and the Good Shepherd (Matthew 23:8; John 10:11). He has already faced death for us\\u2014and He defeated death by rising from the grave. If you know Jesus, you will be raised from the dead too. In fact, the last verse of Psalm 23 tells us what will happen to those who trust in Jesus: we will dwell with God forever. We will spend eternity with Jesus and with our siblings in Christ! How could these truths comfort us when we feel that death is near?\\n\\u2022 If you have questions about what it means to know Jesus, who is a trusted Christian you could talk to? (You can\\xa0also find out more on our \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page.)\\n\\u201cEven though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.\\u201d Psalm 23:4a (WEB)'