Once upon a time, a traveller came upon an impenetrable forest into which two paths led in different directions. “Which way should I go?” the traveller asked the man standing at the entrance. “You must choose,” he replied. “On the left path, you are in charge of everything. There will be many obstacles. You will get lost, sick, and attacked by beasts. You will likely become fearful and lose hope. But, in the end, you will earn a reward. “That sounds tough,” the traveller replied. “The reward must be great.” “The reward”, the man answered, “is death!” “That’s terrible. Who would choose that? What about the other path?” the traveller asked. “You can only choose the other path if you will trust me as your guide. You will have to follow my instructions every step of the way” “Why do I need a guide?” the traveller asked. “I have special powers,” the man replied, “powers to show the way, provide protection from dangers, find shelter in storms, healing for illness, and food for sustenance”. “That sounds incredible,” the traveller replied. “But,” he asked suspiciously, “what’s the catch at the end?” “At the end,” the man replied, “you will receive a gift. A magical fruit. Eating it will give you eternal life”. This fairy tale sounds too good to be true. The good news is it’s not a fairy tale. You are the traveller. Jesus is the man. And, the choice is yours! Go alone through life or go with him. “I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
