Pastor of Peabody Bible Church
My daughter, Jayne, and I travel together often. And we have repeatedly died — because of extreme temperatures; or because we accidentally shot ourselves while hunting, ironically so that we would not starve to death; or because we’ve drowned when crossing a treacherous river. And when we’re not dying, we’re stopping to give a proper burial to someone who was traveling with us. Furthermore, when someone’s not dead or dying, they’re sick with scurvy, cholera, or other ailments. Then there’s those nasty bites, such as mosquito bites, snakebites, and frostbite. Icky.
We’ve encountered flooded trails, bad water, broken wagons, prairie fires, harsh thunderstorms, blinding blizzards, deep hunger, exhausting thirst, blocked passageways, steep paths, wild animals, quicksand, dust storms, high mountains, and relentless deserts. Also, we’ve had to deal with ill-tempered travelers, injured draft animals, and high prices at hole-in-the-wall trading posts. Double yuck.
I can imagine some readers turning to their spouses and saying, “Honey, we’re not going anywhere with the Timm family, are we? If so, tell them we had something come up. I’d rather go visit your mother.”
Don’t worry. Jayne and I experience these journeys from the comfort of home while playing “Oregon Trail” on the computer. It’s a game that provides an educational, terror-filled, journey demonstrating what the early settlers underwent and overcame to reach a new home and start new lives.
The moral of the story: We are all traveling to a new “home” and our final destination will be heaven or hell. The journey may not be easy, but neither is it optional. Where is your journey taking you?