Journey of Life

Imagine you’re in a car having sweet conversation with the driver. A beautiful set of mountains appear on the horizon. You and your companion decide to go up the mountain. While driving you come to an overview of a valley. The driver pulls in and waits in the car as you get out and take a long look. The valley is barren and desolate. Getting back into the car you comment: it’s ugly, and I sure wouldn’t want to live there. Would you believe that the name of that valley is the Valley Of Complaining.

Shaking off unease, conversation starts up again. At the foot of the mountain is a quaint, little village with cute little shops lining the road. The window displays were capable of showing you your hearts desire. You stop talking and look thinking: “I don’t have many of those things and my neighbor does”. Sighing, you realize you’re on Envious Lane turning onto Discontent Ave.

You look out of the window because you don’t feel like talking that much any more. On the outskirts of the city a crystal blue lake catches your eye. You smile at the driver and he pulls into the parking lot. The lake is as clear as glass. The driver once again stays in the car. At the edge of the lake you stop and stare at yourself thinking in disgust: I’ve gained 10 pounds and my sister looks better than ever. You notice the lake’s name: Lake of Self Reflection or better known to the locals as Comparison Lake

The driver gives you a gentle smile. He starts the car and decides to go up another mountain. You hunch in your seat and stare straight ahead. Talking is the last thing you want to do. Another overview comes up. The driver pulls in once again staying in the car. You walk to the edge and panic overwhelms you. Heights have never bothered you before. Running back to the car you realize that this lookout is famous. The Lookout Of Fear.

The road gets narrower and broken in places while going down the other side of the mountain. You enter a dense forest. It’s so dense that no glimmer of light can shine through the trees. Silence fills the car, you close your eyes and start to think, will this forest never end. Suddenly sunshine hits your face and you turn around to look back at the forest, completely missing it’s name. National Park of Worry.

At the bottom of the mountain you look into your rear view mirror and think about all of the things that you went through on your journey. You relive each moment and become increasingly annoyed. You’ve had it and want the journey to end, never realizing that you were looking in the rear view mirror of Anger and Past Reflection.

Dark, dense fog swallows the car and you start mumbling, oh great...... who’s going to hear me anyhow. Who’s going to care. You were so busy thinking about yourself that you didn’t even realize that you had just passed through the Fog Of Self Pity.

The driver comes to the bottom of the mountain and comes to a split in the road: Around the Mountain Bend or Straight And Narrow Path. The Driver stops and gets out. He walks around and opens the passenger door and says, it’s time, you alone can choose how the journey will end.

The journey of this story started around ten years ago. I originally wrote it for fun. Then, I started absorbing the words and they began to open my eyes. I began to realize that I had traveled to every spot during my own journey in life. Each place I visited, I had to make a choice. Will I choose my own way or the way that Jesus has mapped out for us. Each of us has to make the same choices during our journey and hopefully this story will help you to choose the right ones along the way of your own journey.