Holiness: A Parable

A man is living on a frozen glacier. Off in the distance, he sees the dim light of a burning furnace and hears a faint voice calling him to come live there. He accepts the call of the voice, so packs up all the things that are important to him and takes his first step onto the path leading to the furnace.

As he walks, there is less and less cold. He is full of energy and desire, so his first steps are easy. Sometimes, his feet slip and he falls back a little into the cold. Other times, he becomes tired and stops his progress to rest. At one point, he realizes the weight of the backpack is making him tired and slowing him down. He begins to shed items from the backpack one at a time, starting not with the heaviest but with those items easiest to give up.   

As he makes his way down the path, he sees a friend who has set up a new home along the way. The friend is quite content with his new home and says, “It’s warm enough here. There is no need to go any farther. Why don’t you join me?” But the man feels compelled in his heart to follow the voice, so he keeps walking.

Along the way, he sees others who have turned around and are returning to the glacier. He recalls the things he liked about the glacier and sometimes misses those things. There was a certain comfort and joy he felt on the glacier. But, as he gets closer to the furnace, those things just seem less appealing. The warmth is changing his heart.

He finally reaches the furnace and his separation from the glacier is complete. He stands in the ultimate warmth and joy of the furnace. He realizes the things he shed along the way were never truly important in the first place. In complete happiness he proclaims, “This is Heaven!”

So that all can understand the parable…

Holiness is the path that leads us to God. Sin is the coldness in our life, and our soul, that keeps us from experiencing the full warmth of God. The backpack and other people are distractions that weigh us down on our path to union with God. If we are truly walking the path of holiness we will ever move forward. We will continually shed everything: objects, attitudes, goals, and every attachment that separates us from God.

Meditation:

What is my degree of separation from the glacier?

What attachments do I carry that burden me and slow me down on the path to God?

Am I still cold with sinful attitudes, goals and actions that keep me from the warmth of God's grace?

Where is my heart, honestly? Am I focused on the furnace or content right where I am, having no desire for complete union with God?