All this fuss and bother today about switching churches. Does it really matter which church you don't attend?
Once upon a time there lived a people whose goal was to cross a large swamp to a new land that the seers had been telling them about for centuries.
The elders had maps and experience on which paths were safest and best. They passed this information on to each succeeding generation. But to date no living elder had reached the new land.
Parents worked hard to provide the best paths for their children. Parents sacrificed and planned so that each step of the journey was clear and easy.
So the young adults, who had so much provided for them by their parents, became carefree and complacent. They enjoyed the comfort and luxury passed down to them, and they considered it their right and privilege.
The young people no longer paid heed to the warnings of danger that were part of the journey. The stories about sinkholes and quagmires were just that, stories. No one really believed they could disappear forever in a sinkhole or be lost in pathless meanderings.
The trail itself was so inviting that they thought little about the journey and just enjoyed the luxuries they found along the way.
They didn't even use the maps which had been developed and improved on from generation to generation. Gratitude had been replaced by a sense of entitlement. And so it was.
Many forgot about their pilgrimage, about the continuing struggle of their elders to make this journey possible and keep them focused and cautious. It seemed life was full enough and busy enough.
And so they thought less and less about the journey that would one day end for each of them. Some even asked: What is the swamp?
As a commentary on my little allegorical muse I offer the following based on The Word Among Us Meditation for June 23, 2012: Father, you created everything and have power and authority over all you have made. As I go about my day, I will remember you, knowing that you walk with me on my journey.
You see what is behind me and what is ahead of me. I lay my worries at your feet. You know every detail of my life and every fear in my heart. And yet you do not worry. So I will trust in you.
You are the way, the truth and the life. Thank you for embracing me with your forgiveness. You never tire of hearing my pleas. Thank you for who you are and all you have done. I put my trust in you. You will never leave me or forsake me.
