Bernard Epperson

The Stairway Stories Bernard Epperson

The Stairway Stories are a collection of short stories about personal and spiritual growth. God does not leave us where we are, but is constantly encouraging us to grow and learn. In the stories these growth places are represented by stairways, and God, often in forms we do not recognize, is always finding us and leading us to these stairways. As people we are often finding ourselves in difficult situations, and God loves us so much that He wants to teach us and lead us to better places. People can accept or reject God's offer, but He continues to try to help us. In the first story a little girl is lost in a series of dark cellars without light. Her only friend is a forlorn little creature she names Fidget, who tries to discourage her and lead her down to darker places. Not willing to give up, she explores the cellars and finds a little gray cat who shows her a stairway going up. When she has climbed it, she finds an outstation manned by Mr. Budge and Miss Brindle, who keep it to help the lost people in the cellars. There the little girl is given food and shelter. Best of all, she is taught to read and learn. For awhile she is happy there, but after she has finished all the books and grown a great deal she finds a new restlessness, and wonders if there can be another stairway and a new, better place. She is discouraged by the others, but the cat, now larger and whiter, shows her a new stairway to a better place. She learns that she is never stuck anywhere, that it is human nature to learn and grow and God always provides a new stairway to a better place. The rest of the stories in the book are similar, dealing with people who seem to be caught in various hardships and showing how much God loves them and how He will work to teach them how to overcome their problems and rise to better places. Hope is the theme of the book, and the fact that God never gives up on us, but is always willing to help us. I hope that each reader will receive hope from this book and be encoura