To Go A Far Way

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African Proverb

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” Romans 8:14

When the Lost Boys and Girls of the Sudan were threatened with death by the soldiers who killed their families and destroyed their villages they walked, up to a thousand miles, to reach the safety of refugee camps.  Many were lost along the way, but many survived. They were able to go a far way because they stayed together, and because they followed some child who became a leader.  They resisted the temptation to go alone,  which would have been faster, but much more likely to end in death. Going fast was not going to accomplish the goal of the trip. To complete this trip it was necessary that they travel together, following the leader all the way to their new homes.

What is the destination of your life’s journey? What community do you want to dwell with among in the end? Do you even know?  Who are you following to get “there”? 

The point of life’s journey is not to get somewhere quickly.  Being “young, rich and famous” sounds so alluring, and if that was the goal of life, all those who find that would be the truly joy-filled souls in life. But, instead the lives of those who choose to “go alone” so they can get “there” fast, often end in despair because once they are “there”, they understand they have not planned a long enough trip.  There is still so much further to go but they have no travel companions and no one to follow.

The point of life’s journey is to go a far way.  The best way to survive the inevitable dangers of this wild journey through the wilderness is to travel with a community, to travel behind someone who knows the way. The only way to go a far way is to travel together as lost children desperately trying to find refuge. We are all lost boys and girls on a journey to a new home, and if we are complete the far way journey we need to stay together, a community of children following the Leader.