Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

I have a favorite picture hanging on my wall. It’s an illustration from the Dr. Seuss Book “Oh the Places You’ll Go”. It’s a popular book for children and graduates. Appropriately, it’s hanging by my front door. Looking at it today, I realized it only portrays North America, South America, Europe and Africa (and a smidgen of India). I never noticed that before.  So, the places I’ve been (most of Asia) – aren’t even on the map!  I thought to myself, Well hello, it’s a cartoon right? 

It made me laugh, but also kind of made me sad to think that the places I’ve lived didn’t even make it in the picture. Now, I don’t fault Dr. Seuss (again, it’s a cartoon right?). But then I thought Hey, as followers of Christ, we’re not of this world anyway.  We are headed to a place that is not on any human map and He has given us directions on how to get there!  

Jesus, speaking to His disciples, said: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” John 14:3-4 NKJV  But then in verse 5, Thomas speaks up and says, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”  I love the way Thomas, often called “Doubting Thomas”, is so honest here. He was the only one brave enough to speak up and say what everybody else was probably thinking.  Jesus will always reward an honest question. He answers him and us:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 14:6 NKJV

Seeking a secular source to find our way in life is like trying to navigate with a cartoon map. It may have a resemblance of truth but will not take you where you want to go. Contrary to modern culture and belief, truth is not relative. There’s not your truth or my truth. There’s only The Truth. The Way. The Life. It’s Jesus. It’s always been Jesus and it still is.