It all started as a great adventure. There were some who were familiar with the path and for others this was their first time on this journey. As they progressed there was lots of cheerful chatting, pausing for pictures and taking in the immense beauty that surrounded them on every side.
And then…they came to the proverbial fork in the road – you know how the story goes from here. Some were convinced that left was the direction to be taken. Others were quite confident that right was the correct way forward. And then there were those new to this location and were a bit baffled by the confusion.
The cajoling back and forth continued for quite some time until one of the youngest members said in an attention-getting volume, “Look what I found!” And with that she pulled away a clump of brush that revealed not only another path but also a sign with an arrow and the name of their desired destination.
This way or that…my way or your way…either/or thinking, all the while there may in fact be another way – a third way. A way filed with endless possibilities.
This is the marvelousness of Jesus’ resurrection. Mary arrived at the tomb with the expectation that Jesus was dead. And to their shock the tomb was empty. Amidst their bewilderment an angel appears and says, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen.”
Is Jesus alive? Is Jesus dead? Which is it?! Neither! Jesus has risen! Opening up eternal possibilities. As theologian N. T. Wright offers, “Jesus didn’t come to offer a middle-of-the-road compromise between two extremes. He came to bring a new creation, a new way of being human.”
It’s hard to estimate the times personally and working with others that we’ve boxed ourselves into feverishly believing that it is one or the other. Folks going to the mat, bound and determined to convince others that their way is THE way. All the while there just might be a third way waiting to reveal an entirely different path filled with literally life changing possibilities.
“The third alternative is not my way or your way. It’s a better way, a higher way.” Stephen Covey
BP