Ever look back and wonder how you made it this far? The journey of faith is rarely a straight line. We’ve climbed steep mountains (sometimes gasping for breath), wandered through green pastures, and weathered storms we never saw coming. And yet, here we are, all of us still walking.
One of the most unforgettable moments on this path is that first real step, the day we consciously turned our eyes toward the Savior and rested in His presence for the first time.
That beginning wasn’t just emotional; it was eternal.
This week’s story reflects on that sacred moment. Though it’s wrapped in fiction, I must confess it’s drawn from a very real experience in my own life. I hope as you read, it stirs memories of your own first steps and may remind you that, no matter where you are on the road, He’s still walking with you and holding you safe.
With grace and gratitude,
JK
The Path Beyond the Mushrooms
Door JK Stenger
She shouldn’t have taken the drugs.
Not in the state she was in, and not in any state. The hallucinogenic mushrooms had been a present from one of her free-spirited friends, with whom she lived in a crumbling, squatted house; a forgotten place that the authorities had declared unsafe and slated for demolition.
But she didn’t care. Her search for truth eclipsed everything.
She believed truth could never be found in the shallow, poisoned waters of a greedy, hollow world. Truth had to lie somewhere else. That’s why she had joined her equally lost bohemian friends who insisted their mushrooms unlocked the gates of enlightenment, and now she lived with them in squalor. It had only deepened her confusion. But the hunger for truth gnawed at her, and when another round of psychedelics arrived, she didn’t hesitate.
“Good stuff, Mara,” her friend had said. “This will knock your socks off.”
“Are you sure?” Mara asked, her eyes glassy and her hands trembling slightly.
“Guaranteed. This will open the gateway to truth for sure.”
And a door did open.
Within the hour, she found herself in a dreamlike garden. Flowers shimmered in impossible colors; trees waved gently back and forth, as if welcoming her. A crystal stream gurgled nearby and in its depths, strange fish seemed to beckon her to join in their graceful dance.
She was in paradise.
Finally, the door to everlasting joy and the holiness of truth had opened. She stopped for a moment and inhaled deeply of the precious scent of nature…
“Mara?”
A voice. Not warm, not kind, but cold and commanding.
She turned.
A serpent, coiled around the trunk of a tree, stared at her with beady, flickering eyes. Its voice oozed disdain. “What are you doing here?” it hissed.
“I… I’m in paradise,” she replied. “I belong here.”
The serpent laughed; a sickening, slithering sound.
“No, you don’t. Only perfection belongs here. Look at yourself.”
She looked, and reeled.
Somehow, she looked upon her own heart: It had turned into a black, gaping hole that gave entrance to a maze of misery and confusion. Instantly, she was gripped by fear and a terrifying panic pushed her forward. She ran, while branches slashed her face and she was desperate to escape, but the serpent’s laughter chased her like a curse. “Worthless fool,” it sneered. “You are lost. You have no right to be here.”
Tears blurred her vision. The serpent was right. Of course she had no right to be here. Not with a heart like hers.
Oh God, where can I go? What can I do?
“Mara.”
It was another voice. This one gentle and warm.
She turned and saw Him. He wasn’t just an angel. His eyes blazed like the sun, and when He showed her His hands, she saw the scars. “Look,” He said. “The nails went in for you.”
Her breath caught.
This was Jesus. She had heard His name before, but never known its weight.
“What must I do?” she whispered.
“Repent,” He said, smiling. “Fear not. Though you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and I will heal you.”
Warmth welled from deep within. She looked at herself again. Her heart was no longer black, but radiant. It was still a gate, but a gate to the true paradise. And above the gate was a name only He knew.
Then the light faded, and everything dissolved into blackness.
***
Hours later, Mara woke up in a hospital bed. Her friends had called an ambulance, afraid for her life.
But things could not have been better. The grass outside shimmered with life. Even the hum of the air-conditioning felt like grace. And in her chest lingered a peace that surpassed her understanding. She had found the gateway to truth.
No thanks to the mushrooms.
All glory was to the Son of God who loved her.
After all, He does all things well. *
___