A Lighted Path

Lucas and Grandpa were camping together in the mountains. One day, after they had hiked to the top of a lookout point, they sat down to enjoy a late afternoon snack. "How are your friends at school?" Grandpa asked. "Your Dad said you and Bryer had a fight.""Yeah." Lucas sighed. "I'm not sure what to do about it."Grandpa was about to respond when he noticed the sun getting low in the sky. "We need to start heading back before it gets dark. The path up here is rocky, and it will be much easier to get back to the campsite in the light." Sure enough, the sun soon dipped behind the mountains. Then, as the moon began rising, Lucas pointed at it and exclaimed, "Look, Grandpa, it's a full moon tonight!" As Lucas and Grandpa continued down the path, the moon suddenly disappeared behind a cloud. Almost immediately, Lucas tripped over a small rock. Grandpa helped him up and made sure he was all right. "We'd better wait here for a bit until the moon is out again. This path is too hard to walk without any light." Grandpa thought for a moment. "You know, this path is a lot like life. Although our mountain path is full of rocks, the light from the moon keeps us from tripping. And life is also full of hard choices and temptations that may make us stumble or fall, but we have a light to guide us. Jesus is the light on our path.""How do we know where Jesus is leading us?" asked Lucas."He guides us through His Word, the Bible," Grandpa replied. "The truth and wisdom of the Word of God light our way. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself is called the Word. His sacrifice for us is a demonstration of God's love, and through the Holy Spirit, He helps us live out His love, truth, and wisdom in our lives. Just as we need the moon to light our way back to camp, we need Jesus to guide us in the way He wants us to live."Just then, the moon came out again, illuminating their campsite in its glow. Lucas turned to Grandpa. "When we get back to the tent, can I see what Jesus says about friendship in your Bible?"Grandpa smiled and nodded. "Let's go!"–Bethany Den Boer