i was driving to my dad's apartment because i had to pick something up over there. on the way, there was a protest, all Palestinian people, the women were very beautiful. while stopped at a red light, i locked eyes with one of them and we smirked at each other for a moment. then, from the sidewalk, the most wonderful young Palestinian boy came up to my window. he asked me if id like a pamphlet about Jesus and Islam, or if i wanted an English version of the Qur'an. i happily took both and it was a lovely moment. i told him thank you and asked God to bless him. maybe he doesn't need it as much as most people, or maybe he does, but he definitely deserves it more than most people.
i began reading it while still driving there and then in the parking lot, waiting for my dad to come downstairs, and I noticed something. most religions use very similar language. there's always talk of direction, or a path. "sin" is derived from a word that roughly translates to "missing the mark." in the beginning of the Qur'an it speaks of receiving "direction" from the Lord. the Bible talks about taking the right path, "follow" Christ, "walk" with Him. Faith is often described using terminology pertaining to being blind and taking leaps, travel without a guaranteed destination.
even in our day to day talk, non-religious people alike, we use very similar language. we liken our whole lives to a journey or adventure, and by the way we speak it seems the most important thing is to keep moving, and try to pick the correct paths, go in the right direction, follow the right people, steer clear of certain things. books like the Bible were written to ensure that if you do what it says, and more importantly, refrain from the things it says to refrain from, it'll be pretty hard to be knocked off the trail that leads to the happiest ending for you. God wants the best for you, that's part of love, but He won't control you, and thats part of love too. He can only guide you.