The Guillotine

I had done wrong. I realized that very well and knew that I would be held accountable for it. "To be wrong in one thing is to be wrong in everything before the judge," the prosecutor declared. I wanted to escape; I twisted and turned every scenario in my head, but I understood that even if I were to run straight into a pane of glass, the outcome would be exactly the same. I'm going to die, I told myself, feeling a cold fear grip my soul. I froze and shivered so deeply that no clothes in the world could relieve it. I cried out for help, but it wasn't loud enough; my own guilt dampened my honest approach, and I sank deeper and deeper into resignation. I was stuck, trapped forever.Wearing handcuffs, I was led by the prosecutor toward the guillotine. So, I am going to die by beheading, I thought. I felt my physical body tearing and pulling in the opposite direction. "Can no one free me?" I shouted."You can only help yourself," the prosecutor replied.I was only a few meters away from this horrendous execution apparatus when I saw myself beginning to bargain with the devil. "There is no way you will die if you put your head into the second guillotine—the one that represents the path of religion, Catholicism, and neo-spirituality."Wait a minute, I thought. Is there a way out? Even though the question was only asked within my inner self, a hundred answers flooded in. So I still have to put my head down? I gasped. I stood there, to some extent beside myself. Even though I knew it was fair that a punishment was meted out for my wrongs, a sense of apathy answered me, whispering that if I could just bring my conscience along, surely it wouldn't be the end of the world if I converted or became religious. But I knew it would be a total waste of my life. I reasoned that I could still help others whether I became a Catholic, a philanthropist, or a general churchgoer.But right then, I remembered Sunday school. I remembered Jesus—how He took the punishment so that I could go free. I looked through the opening of the first guillotine, and there He was, just smiling at me. Now, the picture began to clear up. I alternated my gaze between these two devices. One advocated the preservation of my current life, while the other required faith in a better, eternal life."If I choose the path of religion that offers to help me now, demanding my conversation and efforts," I asked, "how do I know that I will truly survive?" I needed an answer immediately, as my time was running out.The answer came just as quickly from the devil, spoken with absolute confidence: "I can guarantee that with the other option, you will die instantly. So you have nothing to lose by choosing religion instead—it saves your life."I thought that we would all die, and while others ignore the reason, I want to do what is true for me. And since Jesus has already died for me, I choose to die with Him in order to receive forgiveness."Yes, go ahead and do what you want, you fool," the prosecutor sneered.I looked through the first guillotine once more, and this time, I saw an even bigger smile from Jesus."Do you really expect to receive your salvation by dying?" the devil snickered."Yes," I said. "Since Jesus has already died for me, I'll take the chance."I asked Jesus for forgiveness and asked Him to give me birth again. In that instant, I felt the danger of the cold steel pass through my throat.Suddenly, I stood up again. I wondered if my head was lying on the ground in front of me, but my sight returned, and I felt the life that had vanished return with a warmth I had never experienced before. Looking behind me, I saw others who had taken the same path. Jesus was healing their heads; He took them from the ground, placed them back onto their bodies, and that was it.The others—those who had chosen the path of religion—did indeed escape the physical beheading, but they could not see what was happening to us. We, on the other hand, had a thousand questions for Jesus, asking why most people chose the path of preserving their earthly lives. We understood then that by doing so, they actually lost their lives, merely postponing their burden of debt.God, I am so glad I took the path of surrender instead of the path of religion. I became a complete stranger to the others. They were happy in their own way, walking toward their natural death, drunk and dancing. I felt incredibly grateful, yet deeply saddened for those who are walking toward such an uncertain fate.I can only stand here now on the ground floor and call attention to real life—the life that involves a true relationship with Life Himself, and which takes you past death here and now.