More Setbacks in Christian’s Way.

“Dad, can we go round to Uncle Jeff’s place this afternoon?” Bobby asked one Saturday. “Well, you’ll have to make sure you get all your chores done this morning then”, Dad said, “And as it turns out, Mum and I want to go shopping this afternoon so we can drop you off on our way and pick you up when we get back”. “Ooh, goody!” said Betty who had been listening, “I want more story!”

   So later on when they were left at Uncle Jeff’s place, they all settled down nibbling at some nuts that Uncle Jeff had on his little table by the couch. “Well, we left Christian and Faithful walking along together enjoying chatting as they went. They were talking about the goodness of the King, and what they expected to find when they got to the Heavenly Land. They were so busy talking as they went that they didn’t see the tall man coming up behind them. ‘Hoho,’ he said as he caught up with them, ‘How is the travelling going?’ ‘Where are you off to?’ Christian asked, ‘We are going to the Celestial City’. ‘So am I!’ said Talkative (for that was his name and also what he was) ‘Come and walk with us then’, said Christian ‘and we can enjoy talking as we go along’. ‘Nothing would suit me better’, said Talkative, ‘I can talk about all sorts of things you like to bring up’.

‘We’ve been talking about the Celestial City’, said Faithful, ‘and the things that we will find there’. ‘There are better things to talk about than that’, said Talkative, ‘Why no-one has ever come back from there to tell us what it’s like. Now I prefer to talk about things I can see around me….’ and he kept on talking and talking as they went along. Christian strode along ahead and the other two started to lag behind, as Talkative was so busy talking, he started walking slower. Finally, Faithful caught up to Christian and said, ‘Why don’t you join in with us back here?’

‘I don’t think so’, Christian said, ‘I remember what he was like when I knew him back in the city of Destruction. Wherever he was, he talked to suit those who were there. You should have heard what he was like in the pub! People said he was a saint when he was out and devil when he was at home! ‘Really?’ said Faithful, ‘How can we get rid of him then?’ ‘Just ask him what made him want to come to the Celestial City, and tell him how good God is to have called us like He did!’    Faithful began to talk to him about these things, and it wasn’t long before Talkative said, ‘I’ve just remembered  something, I’d better go back and attend to it!’ and he turned around and went back where he had come from.”

“It’s funny that,” Sarah said, “The kids at school who don’t go to Youth Club don’t like to hear us talk about things we do there either. They say we are sissies for taking notice of that sort of thing!” “Silly things!” said Betty, “They don’t know much do they?” “What happened next, Uncle Jeff?” Bobby asked.

“The path was going through a dry rough place where nothing much was growing, in fact it seemed like a wilderness with no green grass and nothing very nice to look at. Just like Talkative’s talk was, dry and pointless. As they were about to leave this area, another person was hurrying up behind them. Christian turned around, and exclaimed, ‘Oh look, here comes our old friend Evangelist, he’ll have something worthwhile to say to us!’    And so it was. ‘ Peace be with you!’ Evangelist said as he caught up with them, ‘May the Lord be with you….how are you doing now you are this far on your trip?’ ‘We were just saying that if it weren’t for your encouragement back in the city of Destruction, we might never have started on this journey. We are so thankful for your preaching and teaching in past days! By the way, did you see anything of Twisty after he got back to city of Destruction? I thought he was going to stay and be a good friend to me on the way, but he said the road was too hard’. ‘Yes, he is back where he started from, and harder than ever. He is saying now that it was all a big mistake and he found that it was just a load of rubbish! I think he was one of those people who start off with great enthusiasm and then when hard things happen, they change their minds and turn away from the things of God’.”

“I know a girl like that at school”, Sarah said, “She seemed really keen at the Easter Camp, and went forwards to talk to the leader, and even got up at the testimony time, but to listen to her now, she has changed right back again”.

“Yes, you find that happens sometimes”, said Uncle Jeff, “Well, while they were walking along, Evangelist started to look very sad. ‘What’s wrong, Evangelist?’ Christian asked. ‘The King has given me a message that as you pass through the next town called Vanity Fair, one of you is not going to get past there, but will die’. Christian and Faithful looked at each other with sad faces at this news. Evangelist said, ‘I know this is very sad news, but the one who will be taken will be better off than the one that is left because he will reach the Celestial City first, and will be saved from many hard times in this world before the other one gets there. But for the one who is left, let me say in the words of our Master, ‘Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world’. And now I must leave you and go back to continue my work of pointing more pilgrims to this way’.    With that, he turned around and sadly walked away, while the others carried on forward towards this town of doom.”

Uncle Jeff got up and stretched. “I think that will do for today”, he said, “It won’t be long before your Mum and Dad come back….let’s go outside and fill the wheelbarrow up with firewood for tonight”.