A Brief Paradox to Ponder:

So you've lived a life devoted to the teachings of Jesus Christ;
You have forsaken all others to follow him;
You maybe even said you'd die for him if your neck was on the line.

Jesus taught you to have mercy upon those who do not deserve it;
He taught you to be selfless while placing others' needs ahead of your own;
He told you there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your brothers or sisters.

You've claimed that following Jesus was about a real relationship with him;
You've denied following him merely for a get-out-of-hell-free card;
And you've said you'd serve him regardless of the cost.

With your affairs in order, you're prepared as you stand before God to be judged;
But it's you and your child -- flesh of your flesh, bone of your bone -- standing there together. 
You're a believer;
Your child is not.
And you know what's coming...

But God, being merciful, gives you a choice:

Either you can enter into the joy of your eternal salvation for following Him...
while your child stands eternally condemned;
...Or...
...You can simply swap judgements.
Instead of heaven being your reward and hell hers,
you can make heaven hers, and hell yours.

Forever.


And there's no changing your mind once the decision has been made.

But look on the bright side,
You'd finally get to demonstrate if you would really place others' needs ahead of your own;

You'd finally have the opportunity to prove the teachings of Christ sank deep into your soul;

On the flip-side, however,
You'd have to bear the burden of your decision -- forever;
Could you truly enjoy heaven after making a selfish decision that left your child suffering?



What if you chose hell in her place,

Would you ever regret your decision and wish to re-trade places?
or would you be forever pleased you made that decision?




DISCLAIMER: I know this is not a situation the bible ever says will happen.  Thankfully, we don't have to worry about such dilemmas.  But that is not the point here.  Instead, the purpose of the paradox is to inspire thought about those convictions and motives that drive our decision-making.