In the Gospel passage for this week Jesus explains to his disciples why he is going to Jerusalem where he will be killed (Mark 8:31-38). Jesus is faced with a fork in the road and is intent on taking the proverbial "road less travelled," a pathway going in the opposite direction to what people expected. Dewey (1933:122) spoke of how thinking develops out of what might be described as a forked-road situation. This is a situation which is ambiguous, which presents a dilemma and which proposes alternatives. There may be some difficulty or obstruction preventing us from reaching a decision which means that we have to stop and think. In moments of uncertainty, we metaphorically climb a tree and try to find a new standpoint from which to view the situation before we decide what to do. Lent reminds us that our whole lives are encounters with forked road situations. We need not worry though! According to a report published in the journal Psychological Science (2009) religious people suffer less anxiety and stress than atheists - the stronger our belief, the calmer we are likely to be.

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