Once upon a time, there was an island in the middle of the ocean. It was a beautiful, tropical island. It was almost like paradise. The people who lived there loved their island. They had everything they would ever need, and there was no reason for them ever to leave. That is, no reason but one. There was one problem with this island, a big problem. The island was sinking. Every day, little by little, the island was sinking into the ocean. It was only a matter of time before the island and everything on it would be lost forever.
Most of the people knew that it was sinking, but they distracted themselves with music and parties and fun. After all, why worry when there’s nothing you can do about it, right? There was no way to leave the island unless a ship miraculously came through, which rarely ever happened.
But one day, it did. A on old beat-up ship that had been tossed by the stormy ocean waves found its way to the island. As the captain of the ship stepped onto the shore, he was met by a large group of people who cheered and said “our savior is here. The ship has come to rescue us!”
When the people explained how their island was sinking, the captain welcomed them aboard to be rescued.
Immediately, a few people dropped everything they owned and climbed onto the ship while others ignored it completely because they would rather take their chances and enjoy the island while they still could.
But most of the people cheered and celebrated as they stood on the beach beside the ship. They sang songs about the ship and the captain and how he rescued them, even though they still had not left the island. It was almost as if they had convinced themselves that they were on the ship already, even though they weren’t.
They made a giant fire and danced around it with joy because they were no longer afraid of sinking. They knew that their rescuer had come.
Finally, the time came for them to leave. The captain boarded his ship and made the final call, but the people seemed to ignore him as if they couldn’t hear.
“The ship is leaving now, everyone. Climb aboard!” The captain pleaded with them again and again as he begged them to leave their stuff behind and climb aboard. But the islanders ignored his warnings. Even though the people believed in their rescuer, they couldn’t bring themselves to get onto the ship. One by one, the islanders looked at the old rickety ship as they clung to their possessions and their comfort.
One person shouted to the captain, “where will you be going, anyways? And how do we know it’s any better off than our island?”
“Listen, everyone,” the captain replied, “this island cannot compare to the place I am going. The place I am going is far better than anything you’ve ever seen. It’s more beautiful and has everything you’ll ever need,” he said. “But if you don’t get on the ship now, you won’t survive.”
A few more people dropped their things and boarded the ship, but many of them did not.
The captain waited as long as he could for anyone else who would come, but eventually, the ship set sail.
As they entered the treacherous ocean, some of the people started wondering if they had made a bad decision by getting onto the boat. They missed the comfort of their island and all their nice things. Some of them even thought about jumping into the water and trying to swim back to the island, but the captain stopped them and told them that they would never make it.
The boat ride was not very fun. They were tired, sea-sick, and ready to get where they were going. The days were long and the nights even longer.
One morning, as the sun rose, they saw land on the horizon.
“There it is,” the captain said, “we’re home.”
Everyone cheered and sang as they made it safely to the shore of their new home. The people who had been rescued no longer had to fear sinking because they were secure. And the city was just as the captain described it. Only better. It was even more heavenly and more beautiful than the island they had left behind. The food was better. The houses were better. Everything was better. And the best part… this city would never sink because it was built on a rock that could never be shaken.