Pilgrim’s First Test….. Sarah came in from school and threw her bag on the floor. “Sarah”, Mum said sternly, “How many times have I told you to put your bag on the counter and unload it before you put it on the floor?” “Sorry Mum”, Sarah said as she picked it up again and started to do as she was told. “When do you think we will see Uncle Jeff again?” “Well, we are going over to his place tomorrow to get some firewood”, Mum said. “Ooh goody”, Sarah said, “I hope he has some time to tell us some more story!” “I thought you weren’t all that interested in it,” Mum said. “Aw, it’s alright”, Sarah said, “Bobby likes listening to it anyway!” Mum smiled to herself as Sarah busied herself putting her things away.
The next day, the family loaded up their trailer with wood at Uncle Jeff’s place and then went inside for a cup of tea. While the other grown-ups were busy talking in the kitchen, Bobby said to Uncle Jeff, “What happened to Pilgrim after he lost his back-pack, Uncle Jeff?” “Yes, what happened?” Betty piped up. “Well, come and sit down over here, and I’ll tell you some more”, Uncle Jeff said. Sarah quickly came over and sat down beside them.
“Well, you know good things don’t always keep happening to you, especially after something specially good has happened,” Uncle Jeff said, “And this is what happened to Pilgrim. He felt so light-hearted and happy after his back-pack had gone. Somehow he knew that he was different, and that he was already thinking differently. He even told himself that he would call himself by a new name…he would be called Christian from now on.
While he was walking along quietly singing to himself, he spotted three men lying down asleep on the side of the road. He could see that they were each one chained to a peg there. ‘Hello, my good fellows’, he said cheerfully, ‘why don’t you get up and come with me? I’m going to the Heavenly City and it’s a bit dangerous to be sleeping on the side of the road like this’, and he held out his hand to the first one. ‘What’s your name?’ he asked. ‘My name is Simple,’ the man said yawning, and he rolled over, ‘I can’t see any danger here’, he said and snuggled down again. “Well”, said Christian as he prodded the next man, ‘What’s your name my good fellow?’ ‘My name is Lazy’, he said, “Don’t disturb me, I can’t be bothered moving’.
Christian shrugged his shoulders and went over to the third man whose name was Know-all. He was snoring loudly and Christian had a hard job to wake him up at all. ‘Would you like me to help get the chain off your leg?’ Christian asked. ‘There’re no chains on our legs,’ Know-all said sleepily, ‘There was nothing there when we lay down’. But when he looked down he could see that they were indeed, chained. ‘I think the enemy has done this while you were asleep’, Christian said, ‘Don’t you know that he walks around like a roaring lion, seeing who he can tie up?’ ‘Oh, go away and leave us alone’, the three of them mumbled, so Christian went on his way, not quite so cheerful as he had been before.
The road was now going past a high stone wall, but Christian’s head was down and he didn’t see two guys climbing up from the other side and balancing on the top of the wall. Suddenly they lost their balance and fell down on top of Christian, knocking him to the ground.” “Silly man”, said Betty, “He should have been watching what was happening!” “That’s right’, said Uncle Jeff, “But sometimes we are like that too, and we don’t watch out for things that can knock us over. Things like something happening to our Mum and Dad’. “Yes”, said Sarah, “That happened to Leila at school last week, her mum and dad were in a car accident and ended up in hospital!”
“What happened then, Uncle Jeff?” Bobby wanted to know. “Christian asked them what they thought they were doing and what their names were. ‘I’m Double- Minded’, said the first one, ‘and he’s Perfectionist. We’re going to the Celestial City’. ‘So am I’, said Christian, ‘but didn’t you know that you’ve come in the wrong way? There’s only one way to the Celestial City and that’s through the Gate and past the Cross. Anyone who tries to get in any other way is a thief and a robber’. ‘Who do you think you are?’ they asked rudely, ‘Our way is just as good as your’s!’ And they flounced off pushing past him while Christian carried on going up the hill.
As Christian went over the hill, he saw them at the creek at the bottom on the other side having a drink. He soon caught up to them and had a quick drink before heading on up the road which was called Difficulty. ‘Is that the right way to go?’ called out Double-Minded. ‘It is for me,’ said Christian, ‘because it is the straight and narrow way and it is the way my Book told me to go.’
‘Well,’ said Perfectionist, ‘there’s this other road around the bottom, and I’m going that way’. ‘And I’m going this way,’ said Double-Minded, ‘and we’ll all meet around the other side of the hill’. ‘Well, I hope we do,’ said Christian ,’but I’m sticking to the straight and narrow road’, and he set off up the hill. Perfectionist set off on his road which was called Danger, and ended up in the middle of a big bush where he got lost and wandered around until he died of hunger and thirst. Double-Minded took the other easy road which was called Destruction and he ended up in a large rocky area where he fell down a cliff face and died from his injuries.
Meantime, Christian carried on up the hill singing a song as he went. And that’s enough for today”, said Uncle Jeff, “I’m wanting my cup of tea now and you’ll have to wait for another day for some more of the story!”