When people ask why I chose the title, “The
Inheritance,” for my allegory, it really is a multifaceted answer. Today, we often look for comfort. When you think of an inheritance, we want it here and now. But God’s view
is eternity. He wants us to have eternal blessing through eternal life, and
this is the point of The Inheritance. I wrote it to be a tool used to open doors to talk about the Truth of the Gospel.
Delightful inheritance
Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken (Psalm 16:5-8).
The sixteenth Psalm is a meditation and prayer of David. It starts out as a prayer for preservation. In verse two, he admits he “has no goodness but thee.” Paul admits the same thing in his epistles when he says that our righteousness and goodness is because of God’s work in our lives.
I’m a good person–or am I?
Our natural inclination is to think we are good. With that mindset, it is easy to think we can do good deeds to earn our way to heaven. Jejune, the protagonist of The Inheritance, grew up in the village of Lofty Thought where people don’t admit the Condition [sin] exists. They focus on new theories and concepts mingled with philosophies.
Over time, they developed the practice to come up with ideas that steered people away from the orthodox belief in an All Knowing One. As young people in Lofty Thought come of age, they are encouraged to come up with new theories to earn rings worn on their sleeves. When, Jejune, questions how theories that don’t agree can both be right, he is labeled a trouble maker. This is what gives him the courage to leave Lofty Thought to follow the Way Less Traveled.
As he sets out, with his sidekick, Wigglewot, [Jejune’s conscience], he considers himself a good person, and thinks he can gain entrance to the Eternal City in his own power and strength. Needless to say, the journey through the Valley of Shadow is full of lessons that show him how wrong his thinking happens to be.
The path of life
The last verse of Psalm 16 says, You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
The promise of making known the path of life was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In John 14, He said, “Let not your heart be troubled…I’m going to prepare a place for you.” Thomas asked, “How can we know the way.”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6).
Jesus is the path of life. I guess I could have titled my book, The Path of Life, because no one comes to the father in heaven any other way. Jesus is the way to the Father. But for those who have been granted life through Christ, that is The Inheritance.
About The Inheritance
Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions.