Allegory

Imagine you were setting off on a journey to a fabulous vacation spot. Your host, the person who bought the land and built the home gave you specific instructions on how to get there. She even told you that it was the only way to get there because of the remoteness of the property and terrain surrounding it. To attempt any other way would mean that, at the very least, you would never make it to the vacation home. At worst, other approaches were life-threatening.

As you draw near to the island, you see the tiny cave that your host instructed you to enter through. With a glance at the lush jungle scenery on either side of the cove, it's stark, rocky appearance makes it look much less appealing. You decide that it can't hurt to get a feel for the island by sailing around it. You can always enter the cove when you come back around to it.

In sailing around, you notice that one side of the island is solid cliff walls. Well, that definitely would be too difficult an approach. Another side offered a flat rocky beach which would have been enticing, but sharp, jagged rocks peeked from the boiling surf close to shore. However, on the third side was a small, white-sand beach with crystal clear waters bordered by gorgeous plant life.

The idea starts to form in your mind that perhaps your host was incorrect. There might not be just one way to approach her home. In fact, she might have missed a more enjoyable journey to the home. You squint toward the island and notice that someone has cut a path into the jungle. Obviously, someone has traveled that way before. A seed of doubt remains as you remember your host's fervent insistence that the cave was the only way to arrive safely at her home.

But, you push that aside, thinking that certainly it won't hurt to check this harmless beach out. You can always hop into your boat and take your host's original route if this looks suspicious.

You land on the sandy beach and step out onto the warm sands, wiggling your toes in the beautiful surf. It feels so good here, You push the niggling doubt back to the recesses of your mind, insisting that your host must not have realized how great this area is. After a while playing and relaxing on the beach, you decide to check out the path. Having all but forgotten your original instructions to enter only through the rocky cave, you walk confidently into the comfortable path, admiring the beauty of the jungle surrounding it.

What you have not realized is that the path leads not to your host's luxury vacation home but to a village of natives who practice cannibalism. Their eyes are watching your journey as they anticipate their evening meal and your demise. The moment you stepped onto the path, you sealed your fate.

In a similar way, God made not only our eternal home but us as well. He says, "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one LOrd, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all" (Ephesians 4:4-6)

There are many paths we can take in life. However, our very architect tells us that there is only one way to him and eternal life, and that is through His Son Jesus. All other attempts, however enjoyable for the moment, lead to death.

And, though the entrance through a narrow cave seems unappealing, once inside travelers experience a wonder land of jeweled walls and cathedral-like spaces and protection while on the journey.