Anna's picture of the paths
“I was drawing and coloring this picture but I really didn’t know what I was trying to create.” Anna told me as she handed her artwork to me.
“Well, the yellow looks like the sun, shining down on the green grass, the river and the path. Is that a tree or a bush at the bottom of the page?” I asked her.
“Mom, I think the sunlight is coming from heaven and the “bush” is the fires of Hell. Maybe the path is which way we choose to go in life.” Anna replied to me shockingly!
She is in 4th grade and has just gone through the sacrament of Reconciliation. The preparation for this sacrament encompasses the idea of sin “anything that keeps us from God. If you look closely you will see that the path closest to heaven connects to the path leading to Hell. Most of the time we think we are headed in the correct direction doing what is good and choosing what draws us closer to God. However, many times on that path we fall backwards again and find ourselves in the pit of selfishness and unkind ways.
I think Anna got this picture right for as much as we want to go to heaven we are not that far from Hell. We need to always stay aware of our choices and chose wisely what will lead us to God. We need to choose kindness, goodness and love. No matter our age; good and evil are still good and evil, right and wrong are still right and wrong. Yes, as we mature we can recognize the gray and realize we have to accept others where they are in life, hate the sin and love the sinner but we must weigh our choices so that we can stay on the path that will lead us to God and eternal life.
What path are you on today?
