Pastor Bo: The amazing, ordinary little boy in purple (Part 3 of 4)

Please enjoy part three of this Christmas story in four installments, my gift to you and your family.

(READ MORE: The amazing, ordinary little boy in purple (Part 1 of 4)

(READ MORE: The amazing, ordinary little boy in purple (Part 2 of 4)

Our story so far: Five groups of children are trying to find their way through separate parts of a treacherous forest during a snowfall: one group of five children dressed all in red; miles away, another group of six children dressed in black; another two dressed in white, who join the children in red; a much larger group of 26 children dressed in yellow; and a boy alone, dressed in purple. Except for the boy in purple, whose presence is comforting, the children are tired, cold and unsure of the way. To the children in red and white, he is offering guidance about taking the path to a house that appears warm, cozy and safe, but isn't.

As you may have guessed by now, the one speaking was a little boy of about 7 dressed in shabby purple clothes. The little boy continued, saying, "The thing she remembers goes like this: 'Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.' And, in fact, this wide pathway that looks so good is a very dangerous path indeed, and I recommend that you stay as far away from it as possible."

And just a moment later, there were tracks from seven trusting children following a strange little boy in purple out into the snow.

Back in the other part of the forest, the cold of the wind and snow was being kept at bay by a crackling fire. The children in yellow all sat around it with their new friend, the amazing little boy in purple. Now, it's amazing how getting warm will change your priorities. An hour before, every one of the children in yellow had only cared about not being cold anymore. But now it began to be very important to them to know who they were. And where they were from and how to get back. And above all, they had the strangest desire to know everything there was to know about their new friend. So they began one by one to ask him questions. Did he answer them? Well, yes, he did, but his answers always seemed to be wrapped in mystery. Arianna asked him how he found them out in the forest. He answered, "Finding people who needed finding is what I came to do." Aiden asked him how old he was, and he said, "That depends on if you mean how long since I was born or something else." Kadence wanted to know who his parents were, and he simply said, "Well, if you've seen me, you've seen my father."

Finally, Faith changed the subject and asked about themselves. At that, things changed. The answers were still a bit mysterious, but the little boy giving those answers fell somber as he gave them.

"All of you were brought in your own will but against the will of my father. You were brought here by an enemy who made you forget where you came from. He brought you into this place to destroy you, and unless someone stops him, he will. And it isn't just you. I have other sheep who aren't of this fold; I came for them too."

"Other sheep?" asked Graylyn, "What are you talking about? I don't see any sheep here at all!"

"Lift up your eyes," said the little boy in purple. "The fields are already white unto harvest. And I'm not talking about white with snow. Come, we need to go and meet the others who have already met me. It's time for the final showdown with our common enemy."

From various points of the forest, the little boy in purple, and the little boy in purple, and the little boy in purple, led the children in red, and the children in black, and the children in white, and the children in yellow toward the very heart of the forest. Every step toward the center was darker, colder and deeper in snow. But always up ahead, always calling out to them cheerfully to take just another step, was the boy in purple.

They all walked for what seemed like hours. And just when it seemed that they could not take another step, they all, the children in red, and the children in black, and the children in white, and the children in yellow, fell into a clearing. The little boy in purple was right there in the middle of them all. The children in black thought that he had come with them, the children in red thought he had come with them, the children in white thought he had come with them, and so did the children in yellow.

Now, when I call it a clearing, it was not clear of snow, mind you, but clear of wind, noise and any and all distractions. It was as if they had entered a bubble in the raging storm, where anyone could hear a pin drop. But what they heard was a voice -- a soothing, pleasant voice, Looking up, they saw an angel or someone that sure looked like what they imagined an angel must look like, standing over the little boy in shabby clothes of purple. He was looking past the little boy, though, and speaking to all of them.

"Welcome to my forest. I keep it and tend to it with the greatest of care, and I brought you out here. I have tried my best to keep you from danger, but this little troublemaker in purple has been steering you toward trouble as hard as he can."

"What do you mean?" asked Bristol. "He was there to guide us away from the dangerous path and the house!"

"Dangerous?" said the angel incredulously. "I simply wanted to make you warm, feed you with my sweets and make you happy. And I would have if you had only taken the path I laid out for you."

"Wait a minute," said Miley. "I don't know what those other kids are talking about, but I do know that he kept us away from those dangerous forest beds!"

"Dangerous? Again with that word," said the angel. "Dear child, those beds would have given you the sweetest sleep you could ever imagine. I'm afraid this little lad has steered you very wrong."

"Mister," said Gianna, "You have no idea what this little boy did for us. When we were hungry, he fed us from his very own pack."

"Oh yes, child, I am quite aware of that," said the angel. "I know all about the rotten apples and stale bread he fed you. But didn't you see the sweet berry bush I provided for you?"

Bo Wagner is pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro, North Carolina, a widely traveled evangelist and the author of several books available on Amazon and at wordofhismouth.com. Email him at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org.

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