He was a good man, a likable man. He worked hard to provide for his family because this is what good men do. He had no bad habits. He did not drink, do drugs, or cheat on his wife. He was a good man.

He had a daughter. A precious little girl. Man, he loved that little girl. He would do anything for his princess. They went fishing, they played tea party, anything she wanted. He went where ever she wanted to go. She took ballet lessons, and he watched. She played soccer, he watched, she wanted to go to a movie he was happy to go.

He loved his precious little girl. He took her everywhere, except, well, he didn’t take her to church. He just didn’t think the church was necessary. Just didn’t care for it. He said, “Church is okay for some men, but not for me, I can do without it.” He loved his little girl, but he never took her to church.

One day he died, sooner or later everyone dies. He went to hell, that is where you go if you die without Christ in your life. He did not have Christ in his life, so, he went to hell.

Hell did not seem so bad, not near as bad as he had been told. He had been told it would be unbearably hot, but it didn’t seem to be that bad. He said, “I can handle this.” and he thought he could. But then. He heard it. The screaming. The bloodcurdling, agonizing screaming.

He recognized the voice. It was his little girl, his precious little girl.

He ran toward the sound, and he saw her. Demons were tormenting her. Imagine the worst things that could possibly be done to a little girl. He ran toward her, he was going to rescue his baby.

But! There was an invisible wall. He could not get through. He could not get to his little girl. And the demons—– and she screamed, and screamed—- He pounded on the invisible wall, and she screamed, and screamed.

Then he heard the voice, the evil voice, laughing at his agony. Satan said, you did not need God, you thought hell was not bad. This is your hell. For eternity, forever, you will watch and listen as your little girl is violated, beaten, and tormented by my demons. Forever!!

And then, his little girl saw her daddy. She screamed at him. The little mouth that used to sing for daddy, the little mouth that used to say, “ I love my daddy”. The little mouth screamed at him, “ DAMN YOU, DADDY, you could have taken me to church, you could have let me learn about Jesus, I would have believed in Him. I would be in heaven. But you said the church was not important, you said we did not need Jesus. I WISH I HAD JESUS! DAMN YOUR ETERNAL SOUL, DADDY!

This is not a true story, it is not about any particular people. I don’t know what hell is like, but I know it is an awful place. I know that it is a place of torment. I know that Jesus died on the cross so that no one HAS to go there. I know that no one goes to the Father, except through Jesus. I know that a daddy has a tremendous influence on his children. I know that Jesus said, “ let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them.” He also said, “Whoever causes one of these little ones to sin, it would be better if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

These things I do know. I also know that a lot of daddies don’t think they need church or Jesus. But one day——

Douglas Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends