Your plane is going to crash ...and you have to parachute out of the plane. You land safely in a tree. As you climb down from the tree, you find that there are a half dozen paths leading away from the tree.

The tree is okay for now, and the shade is welcome.  Also thankful for the tree, as it provided a safe landing ...perhaps the ground would have been better, but the tree was better than a lake.

You rest for now, and collect your thoughts ...and count your blessings.  You are alive.

But, you don't want to stay here forever. These half dozen paths must lead somewhere ...or if we say they all led to this tree, they had to lead from somewhere.

A path has no purpose traveling alone. All the paths call out ..."Take me, take me with you!"  To an extent, you must agree that standing still gets you nowhere, so you feel you will eventually go ...somewhere.

So, instead of just standing or sitting still, you decide to progress along the way ...some way.  But, what way??  There are half a dozen paths.

All the paths lead in different directions ...otherwise they would be one well-trodden path, not a half dozen.  But, there is no evidence of anyone or anything here ...so perhaps if you stay here, you will see the likes of who or what travels this path.

But, you are hungry ...and are doubtful you could last long without deciding it's about time to look for nourishment.

And since all the paths lead in different directions, they must lead to different places ...but, what places??

All the places likely will not be similar ...and all could be bad, or all could be good.  Or some could be good, and others could be not so good.

You look up at your parachute dangling from the tree.

Suddenly, you notice something ...something not a part of your own parachute.  It is a cloth of some sort with writing on it.

You climb back up the tree to retrieve the cloth.  The cloth says: "All the paths progress, but you will find they are not all what you'd call progress.  Usually going forward is considered progress, but though you cannot stay here, there is only one path that you'll find is the right path.  The other five paths will only lead to trouble.  Now, go ...but choose carefully."

This has all been quite a stressful affair for you ...it's not every day that you have to jump from an airplane.

You laugh aloud ...and it makes you feel a bit better, sort of a stress reliever.

You laugh because you feel a bit silly ...still wearing your goggles.  Perhaps if you remove the goggles, you could inspect the paths more clearly.

You remove the goggles ...and can see a ways down each path,  but not far.

One of the paths is broader than the others ...and you remember what the Bible speaks of, in reference to broad paths or roads.  But, that refers to choices in life ...following the crowd, instead of God.  Yet, how would that apply here??  It doesn't seem like it would.

You recall Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken ...and there is the title The Road Less Traveled.  Would that somehow apply here??

Really have to concentrate here. All the paths go quite far, without any hint of where they go. Yet, far in the distance are hills ...and the paths seem to lead between the hills in the far distance. Perhaps each path leads to a different valley.

Got to reason this out.

If a person was to find trouble in one valley ...they may return to the tree, to attempt to decide upon another path.  So, the heaviest traffic may be from the troublesome valleys.  That is to assume they were able to escape the trouble, or even recognize the trouble when they saw it.

But, that would not explain why there would be so much traffic ...and yet, for several hours now, not a sign of anyone.

Perhaps the tree was seen as some sort of holy meeting place ...where during certain times of the year people would travel to the tree.  But, there is no heavily trodden area that shows any sign of this having ever taken place. Unless, only one person is to make the trip ...as a representative, or high priest type.

No, if makes no sense to try to think of scenarios that may be possible ways to figure it out ...none of this seems logical, so why assume logical actions from possible illogical people.  And that's assuming they are people at all that made these paths.

And there's also the assumption that the note found in the tree is at all accurate.

Maybe the route to go ...is to stick with the first thoughts. There are six paths and five of them seem more alike; and the other one does appear different ...as in less traveled.

And the Bible does say the road to destruction is broad ...and therefore common.  

So, perhaps the less traveled path was that suggested by a common man ...who was no real common man, but appeared so because of the interest in the common man.  Sort of like one of us, but not really.

You take that path, because you know that whether you walk through even the valley of the shadow of death, beyond the hills ...you still know the path you've committed to, is that of following Jesus.

Yes, there are many promised paths ...but, Jesus didn't want us to be deceived, so He came to help walk us through it.