| Proverbs 16:25 – “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.” |
We live in a world that shrugs at the mention of truth.
For most, the irritating term “whatever” is their life motto.
It really makes no difference. Many roads get you there. Don’t sweat it.
They get that from an incident that took place in the Alps in the first world war.
A small group of Hungarian troops camped in the Alps. The young lieutenant sent out a scouting party to get the lay of the land. The group did not return.
The young officer became more concerned as heavy snow fell. Guilt fell over him as thick as the snow on the mountains. Nothing seemed to relieve his torment, until…
Unexpectedly, on the third day the group straggled into the camp. Joy fell on the group and the lieutenant was eager to get some answers.
How did you survive?
How did you find your way back?
Where were you?
The sergeant who led the group said, “We were lost in the snow, and we had given up hope and resigned ourselves to die. Then one of the men found a map in his pocket. We made camp, waited for the snow to stop and returned here with the help of the map.
The lieutenant wanted to see this magical map. He looked at it and discovered it was not a map of the Alps but of the Pyrenees.
The man who first relayed that story said, “you see, just as long as you have a map, that’s all that counts.”
But is it really?
Is one incident of dumb luck enough to draw such a grand principle?
After all, if you were in traffic in Manhattan and all you had was a map of the Los Angeles Transit system, would it help?
Maps matter. They provide direction. Without the right map, you might make it but it will be sheer chance. That is true about life as well.
Some depend on their feelings. But emotion is a fickle taxi driver. It wanders through life from one good experience to the next. It makes its journey in a circle.
Advice from friends and culture is no better. They think they know but how many messed up people give advice you dare not trust?
That’s the observation of the wise man. He says: “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.” (Proverbs 16:25, NIV)
It is as he picked up a map that looked good but got you lost.
Find the right map. Trust God’s way. He made our journey, and he knows the way. It will never get you lost.
–Robert G. Taylor
robertgtaylor.com
