Imagine a famous country where you would like to go and perhaps live. Imagine the stories you are told of the great peace, and comfort, of the nice and friendly folks, the abundance of choice foods, and the great medical practice which can solve all problems of illness and disease.
And then you are told that there is a road which takes you there, and all you must do is to march on, and you would be welcomed. For all who make the journey are welcomed at their doors, for the doors are wide open to travelers of all places, who would be upon arrival given comforts without measure, and an immediate path to citizenship. Imagine that in this place there is no crime or violence or corruption, and all your favorite joys are at the reach of your hand.
Yet you are told that the roads are treacherous, that there are traps of all kinds, places where the heat is unbearable, that many people faint and fail to continue due to heat exhaustion, places that are so cold that even your thoughts are frozen even before they come out of your mind, places where the winds are so strong that they cut through your skin, and places where rain is so heavy that many have drowned in their attempt to cut across. Then you are also told that there are many sweet spots where the road seems clear and undisturbed, places where the beauty of nature is overwhelmingly peaceful, the aroma of the flowers bring joy to the heart, and there is plenty of choice fruits and vegetables which you can pick for your nourishment while you travel,, there are also many encouragers standing along the road to motivate you to continue and to give you tools and clothing and counsel for the many conditions which you will find along the way.
You are also told that there is always good company which would be willing to travel along with you, people with good conversation and a variety of skills which would add to your own skills and facilitate the path through potential difficulties.
But you are also told that some of the travelers or dwellers along the road, are treacherous people, people that would do anything to derail you, to keep you from continuing on your path, and they will set all sorts of traps and seductive offers, to either slow you down or to stop you altogether. You are told that many of those treacherous people are previous travelers who lost their way along the path, and couldn't make it, so they stayed where they fell, to now stop others from carrying on with their journey.
My question is simple. Knowing all this, how many of you, would be willing to take the journey?
Now, there are plenty of advertisers out there who will talk to you about this country, but they don't mention at all the road conditions. Others give you a good description of the country and of all of the good spots along the road, but they refuse disclose the challenges to be encountered. And yet others will talk to you about the wonderful roads, with all the pleasurable stuff to be found in them, yet again, they don't mention at all the final destination. Then finally, others will give you a faint glimpse of the destination, but they scare you away with all of their tales about the impossibility of the road ahead
There is one last group of advertisers, those that somehow manage to confuse you about all of the stories you've heard, in order to sell you stuff. And many people are seduced by these snake oil merchants.
I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago, about the fact that there are as many circumstances on this earth, as there are people in it. There is an old Cuban proverb which says "every head is a world". And certainly we are all individuals, with individual traits and characters, with individual issues, and with individual desires to find solutions to them. Yet in most cases, these issues are self-inflicted wounds, which often remain open due to our lack of willingness to suture them ourselves, or to let others help us heal.
Yet in our misery, we, all, without exception, rich and poor, black or white, schooled or uneducated; are seeking for answers, seeking for a somewhat miraculous solution to our woes, and difficulties. But we cannot and / or will not find that solution because, somehow, there is a certain joy in dwelling in our pain, or because seeing a way out we don't have the courage to step forward. Many of you already have the answer to all of your questions, yet you refuse to accept, that that's your only solution
There's an interesting book Written by M. Scott Peck, "the Road Less Traveled" which I highly recommend to all of you, when Dr. Scott Peck wrote this book he was not yet a Christian, although the book itself reveal that he was already seeking for answers to the most enduring question, what's at the end of the road?
Our Battles, are mostly battles with ourselves, about an empty spot, a void we feel we have in the center of our soul, many feel it in the stomach, others feel it in their hearts; others feel it through anxiety, restlessness, or an unexplained desire. We all try to figure it out at one point or another in our lives, yet, we cannot put our finger on it.
This void, was put in there by God, to let you know that you are eternal, that you belong to Him, and that only He can fill what you've been trying to fill yourself, with stuff, or entertainment, or lost causes, traveling, eating, buying, drinking, promiscuity, you name it. It all comes from the same place, and we all try to find the one thing which will fill it. Just to realize after the momentary pleasure has passed, that the void is still there.
Jesus said in John 14:2-3 in my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
We are all made for eternity, and when our flesh die and decay, our soul will be living the life we are meant to live in heaven, in the presence of God. That is, if we have found our path through Jesus.
C.S. Lewis said "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."
There is a road which we all can take, God himself has invited us to take it, and at the end of that road there is a place awaiting us in which all tears are wiped away, where pain and disease does not exist, and God lives with His people and we live with Him, for all eternity. (Revelations 21:3-4). This place is where you belong, if you make the choice to take the Road less traveled. And there will be obstacles, and difficulties on the road, but there's encouragement, and help along the way, and as you start your journey, you will notice how that void, in the center of your heart, starts to get filled. For you belong to God.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Jose A. Luna
A Servant of Christ Jesus
https://morador-temporal.blogspot.com/
By Jose Luna
Article Source: A Country Called Home
And then you are told that there is a road which takes you there, and all you must do is to march on, and you would be welcomed. For all who make the journey are welcomed at their doors, for the doors are wide open to travelers of all places, who would be upon arrival given comforts without measure, and an immediate path to citizenship. Imagine that in this place there is no crime or violence or corruption, and all your favorite joys are at the reach of your hand.
Yet you are told that the roads are treacherous, that there are traps of all kinds, places where the heat is unbearable, that many people faint and fail to continue due to heat exhaustion, places that are so cold that even your thoughts are frozen even before they come out of your mind, places where the winds are so strong that they cut through your skin, and places where rain is so heavy that many have drowned in their attempt to cut across. Then you are also told that there are many sweet spots where the road seems clear and undisturbed, places where the beauty of nature is overwhelmingly peaceful, the aroma of the flowers bring joy to the heart, and there is plenty of choice fruits and vegetables which you can pick for your nourishment while you travel,, there are also many encouragers standing along the road to motivate you to continue and to give you tools and clothing and counsel for the many conditions which you will find along the way.
You are also told that there is always good company which would be willing to travel along with you, people with good conversation and a variety of skills which would add to your own skills and facilitate the path through potential difficulties.
But you are also told that some of the travelers or dwellers along the road, are treacherous people, people that would do anything to derail you, to keep you from continuing on your path, and they will set all sorts of traps and seductive offers, to either slow you down or to stop you altogether. You are told that many of those treacherous people are previous travelers who lost their way along the path, and couldn't make it, so they stayed where they fell, to now stop others from carrying on with their journey.
My question is simple. Knowing all this, how many of you, would be willing to take the journey?
Now, there are plenty of advertisers out there who will talk to you about this country, but they don't mention at all the road conditions. Others give you a good description of the country and of all of the good spots along the road, but they refuse disclose the challenges to be encountered. And yet others will talk to you about the wonderful roads, with all the pleasurable stuff to be found in them, yet again, they don't mention at all the final destination. Then finally, others will give you a faint glimpse of the destination, but they scare you away with all of their tales about the impossibility of the road ahead
There is one last group of advertisers, those that somehow manage to confuse you about all of the stories you've heard, in order to sell you stuff. And many people are seduced by these snake oil merchants.
I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago, about the fact that there are as many circumstances on this earth, as there are people in it. There is an old Cuban proverb which says "every head is a world". And certainly we are all individuals, with individual traits and characters, with individual issues, and with individual desires to find solutions to them. Yet in most cases, these issues are self-inflicted wounds, which often remain open due to our lack of willingness to suture them ourselves, or to let others help us heal.
Yet in our misery, we, all, without exception, rich and poor, black or white, schooled or uneducated; are seeking for answers, seeking for a somewhat miraculous solution to our woes, and difficulties. But we cannot and / or will not find that solution because, somehow, there is a certain joy in dwelling in our pain, or because seeing a way out we don't have the courage to step forward. Many of you already have the answer to all of your questions, yet you refuse to accept, that that's your only solution
There's an interesting book Written by M. Scott Peck, "the Road Less Traveled" which I highly recommend to all of you, when Dr. Scott Peck wrote this book he was not yet a Christian, although the book itself reveal that he was already seeking for answers to the most enduring question, what's at the end of the road?
Our Battles, are mostly battles with ourselves, about an empty spot, a void we feel we have in the center of our soul, many feel it in the stomach, others feel it in their hearts; others feel it through anxiety, restlessness, or an unexplained desire. We all try to figure it out at one point or another in our lives, yet, we cannot put our finger on it.
This void, was put in there by God, to let you know that you are eternal, that you belong to Him, and that only He can fill what you've been trying to fill yourself, with stuff, or entertainment, or lost causes, traveling, eating, buying, drinking, promiscuity, you name it. It all comes from the same place, and we all try to find the one thing which will fill it. Just to realize after the momentary pleasure has passed, that the void is still there.
Jesus said in John 14:2-3 in my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
We are all made for eternity, and when our flesh die and decay, our soul will be living the life we are meant to live in heaven, in the presence of God. That is, if we have found our path through Jesus.
C.S. Lewis said "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."
There is a road which we all can take, God himself has invited us to take it, and at the end of that road there is a place awaiting us in which all tears are wiped away, where pain and disease does not exist, and God lives with His people and we live with Him, for all eternity. (Revelations 21:3-4). This place is where you belong, if you make the choice to take the Road less traveled. And there will be obstacles, and difficulties on the road, but there's encouragement, and help along the way, and as you start your journey, you will notice how that void, in the center of your heart, starts to get filled. For you belong to God.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Jose A. Luna
A Servant of Christ Jesus
https://morador-temporal.blogspot.com/
By Jose Luna
Article Source: A Country Called Home