Craig Clouston

No, All Roads Don’t Lead To Heaven

and narrow the road that leads to life…

Matthew 7:14

Approaching Columbus, Trent posed the question to Alisha, “So, should I take I-270 or I-71?” He wasn’t so much seeking her opinion as he was trying to transfer responsibility for possibly ending up in a traffic jam. If he could get her to make the decision, she’d become responsible for the outcome!

“Oh no you don’t!” she said. This wasn’t her first go-round with her husband’s you choose and let me off the hook ploy.

Trent lamented, “270’s always under construction. But 71 narrows to only four lanes downtown. Traffic usually slows to a creep this time of day.”

Alisha decided to take the high road, “I saw on the news last night that there are several detours on 270.We may not be able to get back on 71 and we’d have to backtrack.”

“Are you saying I should stay on 71?” he baited her again.

“I’m saying…whatever you decide, I’ll endure...but if we stay on 71 we’ll eventually get where we’re supposed to be,” she finished diplomatically.

“71 it is!” Trent exclaimed triumphantly.

Fortunately, traffic was light and they didn’t lose any time, “I’m glad I made the right decision,” he crowed, stealing a glance at his wife. The look on her face said, I nothing, mister! but she graciously remained silent.

†

If you look at a map of the Continental United States you readily see that all roads do not lead to the same destination. As a matter of fact, there are few exceptions where you can deviate from your original route and still reach your intended destination without some major backtracking.

Many preach: “We’re all headed for the same place, just taking different routes.” This is simply not true, and leaving the path that leads to our eternal home is dangerous; we may not make it back. Detours hold pain and suffering. And, if we survive, we can choose to correct our path. Unfortunately, many never make it back.

Heaven is accessible only through Jesus Christ. There is no other road that serves as His substitute.

Prayer

“Help me be narrow-minded when it comes to the road I travel, Lord. Keep me on the straight and narrow path that leads to Heaven. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”