“32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.”(Heb 11.)
Earlier last month, my family moved to the coastal city of Mombasa, some 500km from the city we’ve always called home. I however, have still some things to do in Nairobi so I’ve been shuttling every week to and fro – thanks to the new railway service.
As the train traverses the Savannah plains that is the land between Nairobi and Mombasa, one watching through the windows cannot fail to notice how fast local life passes by. From the remote villages of the vast Kamba land to the diverse wild animals of the Tsavo, one only gets a glimpse of what happens.
Given the speed of the train, there is little to experience along the way, and eventually one starts looking forward to the destination. I have wondered more than once what it would be like to experience the village life and graze cattle in the same place I see the wild animals.
Further I’ve thought how similar our experience of the journey of faith can be:
On one part, one can look at the train journey as a life where one believes in Jesus, departs from Nairobi, and then speeds to Mombasa – heaven to meet Jesus there.
Another can be viewed as a walk with the Lord (like journey to Emmaus) where a couple of you depart Nairobi with Him when you believe, walk with him through the wildlife inhabited plains, for many days unlike the 5 hours on the train, encounter challenges with Him along the way , and scale all of them with Him. You get to the destination Mombasa, having not only arrived victoriously, but also bonded immensely with Him as you’ve experienced life in Him together.
Given a choice between the two, I’d rather the walk – tough, but immensely satisfying.