Life, Death, and Victory: Ultimately Determined by Faith
When was the last time you heard the word "Faith"?
Leaving the house of the pastor in Heino, I set out on my bicycle, following an instinct that led me through Zwolle and onto Kampen. My path continued westward toward Dronte. Along the way, I found myself weaving from side to side, not out of whimsy, but out of necessity—for the ground was littered with slugs, those humble creatures whose existence seemed almost invisible to the rushing world. I rode quickly, not wishing to crush them beneath my wheels. Yet, eventually, I stopped, compelled by a curious urge to study these “road-crossing slugs.”
The Creation of an Epic Story from Nothing
And so, as I gazed upon the tiny corpse of a slug that had met its end on this indifferent road, I wondered. In the first image, it lies there, lifeless—its journey over, its adventure concluded. To this slug, perhaps, the crossing was a grand undertaking, a heroic quest, much like Columbus setting sail into the unknown.
Yet, in the second image, when seen through the lens of close observation, this tiny journey appears almost epic in its own right.
But as the third image reveals, the distance it traveled was less than two meters—so small, so insignificant in the grand scheme.
And in the fourth image, from the perspective of humankind, the death of this minuscule being seems utterly trivial, almost meaningless.
The Revelation to Us
But is it meaningless? Or does this small, seemingly insignificant journey reveal something deeper, something more profound? Let us consider the following:
The Difference in Perspective: To the slug, crossing that road may have been a great undertaking, much like Columbus discovering the New World. However, to us, it’s just an ordinary road, and to God, even the vast Atlantic Ocean is but a mere puddle. This reminds us of the truth in Isaiah 55:8-9, where the Lord says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways… As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Our perspective is limited, but God sees the entire picture.
2. The Illusion of Self-Importance: We often magnify our own actions, viewing even our small achievements as great triumphs. Yet, from God’s perspective, our greatest works are merely part of His grand design. As it says in James 4:14, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” This humbles us, reminding us that our true purpose is to glorify God within His grace.
3. Faith and Direction: The slug lost its way and could not reach its destination, just as we sometimes lose our way in life. Even when we know the direction God has given us, we can be led astray by temptations, doubts, and a lack of faith. Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Without trust in God, we, like the slug, may fail to complete the mission He has set before us, squandering the precious life we have been given.
Conclusion
Through the journey of this small slug, we are invited to reflect not only on our own lives but on the very nature of existence itself. In the grand tapestry of life, we are both the slug and the road, the hero and the obstacle. Let us then see our lives not from the perspective of mere survival, but as a series of challenges to be embraced, with all their inherent struggles and triumphs, for it is in this that we find our true meaning.