"The safest road to hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."
—C.S. Lewis
Lewis exposes a hard truth: when we’re drifting in the wrong direction, it rarely feels dangerous. There's no crash, no blaring alarm. Just a gentle slope. We don’t fall—we slide.
It’s subtle. We’re lulled into complacency, comfort, distraction. And that word—lulled—is right. It evokes sleep, numbness, a kind of spiritual drowsiness. We don’t even realize how far we’ve wandered until something jars us awake.
But here’s the challenge: we don’t notice the wake-up calls unless we’re paying attention. The signs are often there—small moments of conviction, discomfort, or unrest—but we miss them, or worse, ignore them.
That’s why daily prayer is so essential. It's our daily stop on that slope—a moment to wake up, to stand still, to listen. It's how we open our eyes to God’s warnings, His guidance, and His mercy.
The road to hell may be quiet and easy—but the road to heaven is one we walk with intention, step by step, heart attuned to the Lord.