Beauty and danger dance together in the Namib desert. The beauty of the rusty red colours belies the heat and danger of this vast landscape. It’s easy to get lost, and so marker poles have been placed to show the route to a beautiful vlei hidden between the towering dunes. Life’s journey is like a desert walk – there’s beauty, but there is also danger. Without direction, we will wander off and soon be in trouble.
However, where do we get our direction from? Who are the “poles” in your life? A sports star or actress who gives life advice? A motivational speaker who shares winning formulas? Friends and family with tips and tricks? The issue with all of these is that they, too, are lost and walking the desert of life. We need “poles” planted by someone with perspective, someone not walking the desert but above the desert. “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15). Jesus was crucified on a pole to give humankind perspective – a perspective of our sinful state and forgiveness and direction. Jesus is our pole in our life’s journey. Look to him for perspective, forgiveness, and direction, and you will find the ultimate destination – eternal life.
