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The Path Less Traveled

“This is so much fun!” exclaimed Scarlett as she tramped along through the snow with the other kids from her church.

“Yeah,” said Ada. “This is a cool place to have a winter retreat.”

Soon they came to a fork in the path. The kids ahead of them took the path to the right. “Wait!” called Scarlett. “Mr. Bailey said to turn left at each fork, and then we’ll end up back at camp.”

The other campers hesitated. “Yeah, but look! This path on the right is full of footprints. There aren’t as many in the path to the left,” argued one of the boys. “I think we should take the one everybody else used.” Most of the kids agreed, and they all continued down the well-trodden path.

Scarlett and Ada didn’t know what to do. “Mr. Bailey said to take the fork to the left,” said Ada. “I think we should do that.”

“Me too,” said Scarlett. “Let’s at least take it for a little ways. If we don’t get back to camp soon, we can turn around and follow the other kids.” Ada nodded, and they started off.

To the girls’ delight, it wasn’t long before they arrived back at camp. They explained to Mr. Bailey why the other campers weren’t with them. He shook his head. “They’ll come to a dead end and have to turn around. I’ll send someone out on a snowmobile just to make sure they’re all right.”

During camp devotions that evening, Mr. Bailey grinned at the group. “We have some tired campers tonight,” he said. “Most of you took a longer hike than you planned because you didn’t follow the directions you were given. Instead, you followed the path many others had taken.”

He opened his Bible. “As many of you learned today, the right path is not always the popular one. God’s Word tells us that many people choose the wrong path in life. We might be tempted to follow our own selfish desires thinking it will make us happy, but the Bible says that well-worn path only leads to destruction. There’s only one way to have true joy and peace, and that’s Jesus. When we trust in Him, He walks with us along the path that leads to eternal life. Choose to follow Him, not the crowd.”

– Mary Rose Pearson

So how about you?

Which path have you chosen to follow? Are you walking with Jesus down the path that leads to eternal life? Or are you going your own way? Though the world may tell us we can find our own way to happiness, the Bible says that path only leads to a dead end. Jesus says He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Trust and follow Him. (To learn more, go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Key Verse

Matthew 7:14 NIV "Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Key Thought

Follow Jesus, not the crowd.

Further Reading

Proverbs 4:10-15, 18-19; Matthew 7:13-14