A Word of Encouragement

As our CAC Multimedia Ministry grows and develops, a lot of changes will be taking place on this blog. One of the newest changes is the addition of me... as a writer for this blog. So to introduce myself I have decided to tell you all a story. I heard this story a few years ago while vacationing in India, and it has continued to be a source of encouragement for me.

There once was a crow who lived in a tree next to some white doves. The crow was lonely and unhappy. His dove neighbors, on the other hand, always seemed happy and excited about something. The crow became increasingly interested in finding out what the doves were so happy about. Unfortunately, whenever he tried to get close enough to listen in on their conversation they flew away sacred of him. One day, while flying through the town, the crow noticed a painter touching up some old buildings. As the crow spied the open cans with white paint in them, a light bulb went off in his head. He flew straight for the paint cans and plopped himself in, covering his whole body in white paint. Excited that he now looked like the doves, the crow flew straight home and perched himself next to the doves. Happy that they did not fly away frightened, the crow seized the opportunity to ask what made them so excited about life. It was then that the crow heard the most entrancing story he had ever heard.

The doves told him they were getting ready for a journey. The journey would be a long and arduous one, but their destination was well worth it all. Their destination, the doves told the crow, was a paradise so beautiful, so magnificent, so awesome that nothing they knew could compare to it. In this paradise there was food aplenty; there was water so clear and so blue it looked like glass. In this paradise they would never have to toil or fear for their lives ever again. The crow's eyes grew wide in wonder. He had never heard of such a place, and he wanted to go with them. So the doves agreed; they told the crow that he could come with them to this wondrous paradise.

The morning of the journey came and the doves woke up the crow at the crack of dawn. They warned the crow that in order to make it to the paradise he had to keep his eyes fixed forward. He could not look down, to the side, or behind him. They also warned him that the journey would be excruciatingly long, but that he could not give up or stop to rest. The crow nodded in excitement, saying he would do anything to make it to the place they described. So off they went, the company of doves and their paint covered crow friend.

As the birds flew along, the crown began to get hungry. His dove friends reminded him not to grow weary, or give up. Instead the crow shifted his gaze and looked down. Below him were carcasses of fish laying on the beach shore. His mouth watered and his stomach growled. The doves told him he couldn't take a break, and reminded him of the food that awaited him at their destination. Still the crow slowed his pace and began his descent. The doves told him that if he stopped, he would not make it to the paradise. The crow, thought for a second, and decided the pleasures of the meal below him were worth missing out on the paradise. "Who knows if this paradise even exists?” he convinced himself. So down he went to enjoy the dead fish. Sadly, while chowing down on dead fish a huge alligator jumped out of the water and killed the crow. Thus, the crow died having never experienced the doves' paradise.

So it is with us on our journey to heaven. We must not let ourselves get distracted by the temporal things of this world. Instead, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (He. 12:2). Let us forget those things which are behind (and below, and to the side) and reach forth unto those things which are before. Let us press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Ph. 3:13-14).