365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 299: The Way

The Way

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' " (John 14:6 NIV)

A child wants to see his daddy.

His father is a very important person. The child goes to the office building where his father works and tries to open the front door. But the door is locked, and he does not have a key.

Someone appears next to the child. "I have a key," he tells the child. He puts his key in the lock, and the door swings open.

The child goes through the door. He needs to take the elevator to the top floor where his father's office is. But the elevator requires a pass code, and he does not have that code.

Someone appears next to the child. "I have the pass code," he tells the child. He enters the code, and the elevator doors slide open.

The child rides the elevator to the top floor. He gets off and makes his way to the double doors that lead back to the suite of offices where his father works. A uniformed guard is standing at these doors. He grimaces at the child. "You're filthy! You can't go to your father looking like that!"

The child's clothing is indeed filthy. It is black with dirt and is torn almost to rags.

Someone appears next to the child. He is dressed in layers of white, spotless and pristine. His top layer is a white robe. He tells the child, "You can wear my robe." He takes it off and puts it around the child's shoulders. The guard opens the double doors, and the child walks through. 

The child has almost made it to his daddy. He knows there is a long hallway he has to walk down to get to the door that opens into his father's private office. He rounds the corner to the hallway, but in his excitement, he bumps into a table holding an irreplaceable vase. It is one-of-a kind, of inestimable value.

The table wobbles, and the vase crashes to the floor, shattering into hundreds of pieces. The child runs away, down the long hallway leading to his father's office. He gets to the door and puts his hand on the knob, but another hand—a rough, forceful hand—pulls it off. An angry voice barks, "You can't go in there! I saw what you did to that vase. You have to pay for it."

The child begins to cry. "I can't pay for it," he says. "I don't have any money."

"You have to pay for what you've done," the angry voice tells him again. "You'll have to work off the cost of what you owe."

The child protests, "But no matter how hard I work, it won't be enough."

Again, the voice tells him, "You have to pay for what you've done."

Someone appears next to the child. "I'll pay for the vase. I'll pay what is owed."

Someone puts his hand on the doorknob and turns it. The door swings wide open. The child can see his father sitting at his desk.

"Go on in," Someone tells the child. "Your daddy is waiting for you."

"Do you know my daddy?" the child asks.

"Yes," Someone answers. "He's my Daddy, too."