Upon death, a man found himself not in heaven but in hell.

His first inclination was to ponder what brought him there. Deep in his heart, he felt he did not belong, but what could he do? In the darkness surrounding him, he felt only contempt, stress, and confusion. As he slipped into despair, he called out for help. Whether that help came from Satan, the prince of lies, he didn’t care, concerning himself only with demanding an answer. Suddenly, out of the murky void stepped Satan. He was not what the man expected. He appeared not as a horned devil but as a businessman. In his hand, he held a large, heavy book. Grinning, he introduced himself, then asked, “How may I help you?”

Not wasting words, the man hollered, “Why am I here? I don’t belong here.”

“Well,” said Satan, “let’s see, shall we?” He carefully opened his book so as not to allow the man to peek inside, then scanned the pages until he finally arrived at the last page. Looking up, the devil said, “You’re right! You appear nowhere in my book. I have no idea how this happened, so let’s get you out of here. Would that suit you?”

The man eagerly agreed. “Thank you,” he said. “Soon as possible, please.”

“Certainly,” agreed the devil. Motioning for the man to look behind him, he said, “See that door over there? That door leads straight to heaven. You’re free to leave, but first, I have a few things you’ll need to do. It won’t take long, but they are necessary for you to pass through that door. Not my rules, but theirs—up there.”

Satan took a piece of paper and scribbled down a few chores—not too many but just enough. Handing it to the man, he stepped back into the murky darkness and vanished.

A week and a day passed, and the man completed the tasks. So he returned to the door, hoping to leave the dismal realm he found himself in. Satan stood waiting for him, holding a large sheet of paper. Grinning, the devil apologized for an unfortunate oversight and informed the man that he had accidentally left off several essential items. “Sorry, I forgot they changed a few requirements, but this should do it for you.” He presented a second list that was, curiously, more extensive than the first. The man grunted in disgust but took the list from Satan and watched as the devil disappeared a second time.

Months later, the man returned to the door, his tasks again complete. This time, Satan was nowhere to be seen. Tacked to the door was an even more extensive list. He called out for Satan, demanding an explanation, but to no avail. Too tired to squabble anyway, the man pulled the list off the door and staggered off. This scenario repeated itself until, finally, the man no longer returned to the door. Countless years passed without hope. Drowning in despair, in a final, desperate attempt, the man stumbled back to the door. He lifted his eyes enough to see a weathered piece of paper tacked to the door. Exhausted from his struggle to leave this place, he leaned against the door—only to have it swing freely outward.

Shocked, he examined the door and discovered it had no lock, latch, or knob. It had been open all along. With tears of joy, he realized his pain, sadness, and misery were over. Suddenly, it became clear. As he stepped freely through the door, he knew why his name was not in Satan’s book.

Why do you suppose this man knew his name had never been in Satan’s book? Could it be that all the pages were blank? Does anyone belong in hell if they choose otherwise?