The Ballestero Blog

I Didn’t Tell You, Because You Didn’t Want Me To.

The old preacher sat on a rock at the fork in the road. The many years of struggle showed on his face, and in the stoop of his shoulders. He watched as travelers passed him by.

Some of his preacher friends and acquaintances  stopped a moment or two to chat before continuing their journey. Many came in groups, others by themselves, but they all walked down the road.

The children of his friends walked the road too, some of them walked with their parents, others walked alone.

Most everyone nodded in acknowledgement and smiled at him while continuing on their journey. A few stopped and sat on the rock beside him to visit for a while before walking on.

The old preacher noticed that a large number did not hesitate when they came to the fork in the road. They as if by some predetermination chose which path to walk.

There were those who paused and stared at the signposts, as if unsure. One or two fumbled for their map as if to verify which road would be best.

Those who still seemed unsure of which path to choose, changed from looking at the road signs, to looking at the other travellers. If by chance they happened to see a friend that looked like they knew what path to choose, they simply followed without further ado.

Every now and then one of the young travellers that stood reading the signposts turned to the old man for advice.

“Which fork in the road should I choose?” They asked.

The old preacher would look up at their sincere faces and without hesitation point in the direction that he knew was best. Some sneered, and walked down the other road anyway. Some followed his advice.

Occasionally travelers would return to the fork of the road to look at the signs again, as if to confirm their choice.

One young preacher who had walked down the wrong path quite a ways returned to the old man and began to chastise him.

“Why didn’t you stop me? Why didn’t you tell me that was the wrong path? Why didn’t you tell me how much I would lose if I walked down that path? Why didn’t you tell me I was in delusion to believe it was a better road? I thought you were a friend to my family, and me but you didn’t stop me and tell me which road to go! Why?

The old man didn’t get offended. He looked at the son of his friend, and then began.

“You know I love you, I love your father too. You know what road he walked down, but you felt comfortable in ignoring that fact because your friends and popular people have influenced you.

“I noticed you watching me as I pointed out the right way to others. You chose to ignore this old man’s advice.

“The reason I never told you personally which road to walk down is because you never wanted to know bad enough to ask. Maybe you didn’t want to hear the word, NO! I didn’t tell you because you didn’t want me to.

“If I had told you which path to choose without you asking, you would have taken that as an insult to your intelligence. You would have felt I was interfering in your business, so I held my peace as I held my breath.

“Those who ask for direction really want help. Those who don’t ask will soon need help. It’s a mistake of youth to reject the paths of their fathers in serving the Lord.

“You once believed your choices to always be accurate. Your delusion made it feel that it was God that was guiding you, now you have fear and regret because of your great losses. It’s the mercies of the Lord that you have returned to this point.

“The bad news is there are some things you will never regain. But, the final chapter has not been written. Remember hearing your father singing the song, “It’s Not the First Mile”?

“The real question my son, is now that you know which road is right, which one will you choose?”

With a thankful embrace and a sincere apology, the young man turned and walked back to the fork. This time he chose the one marked, “The Old Path.”