Life Is A Journey

In our daily lives we make several journeys to a destination we desire.  Some are successful while others are full of danger.  It can be from a city to upcountry or vice versa.  On the way, the journey might have a good security or no security at all.  We meet others going on the same route or the opposite, those who need our help or those who can help us.  Life exchanges hands with death without a warning or prior knowledge as we proceed with our journey.

The book of Luke 10:30-35 gives us a clear picture of this reality.  In life we meet with good and bad people, people of all walks.  But the Bible points out clearly the characters such as robbers, priests, Levites and the Samaritan.  This means that life can commence badly and end well (or the other way round).

Priests, who we put in the first ‘good’ people category may surprise us.  They only want to help or assist those who are physically healthy and pass by those on the verge of death.  This is hypocrisy.  Priests should serve others, whether mentally, physically, spiritually or socially healthy or not.

The Levite – tax collectors – they only value a live person who can still be taxed.  Dead ones are unworthy.  They pay tax no longer.  These are the people in our midst.  They are wealth seekers – woe to them.

The Samaritan outstands these other characters mentioned above.  These are people in our society, journeys, workplace etc. who draw their attention to have pity on us, share our grief, their belongings,  to support in times of a dire need.

The theme here is neighbourliness, but who is a neighbour and what are the characteristics desirable of a neighbour?  As we journey, may we plan them well in advance with our knowledge, but Proverbs 16:25 warns us.  Jesus gives us a good guide and protection.  John 14:16.  Let us all beware as we are going where we have never been before. (James 4:14).

Bro. Rono Kibet Samuel (Fort Ternan, Kenya)