Articles
Walking in His Light
When thinking about life’s pathway, the image that most likely pops into your head is a trail in the middle of the woods. It is a good analogy, but it is common to picture someone alone in the woods like Little Red Riding hood. That is why going forward, we instead should use God’s established trailblazers to represent our lives as Christians. One of these original trailblazers would be the elephant.
Elephants have more in common with Christians than you may think. Elephants find themselves in a world that’s constantly changing (James 1:17), and yet they will walk the same paths as those who have come before them (Heb. 11). They will clear jungles, topple homes, move rivers, and become a tank that triumphs the obstacles they face rather than take the long way around. They do this because they have their eyes fixed on the path ahead, and to them there are no shortcuts or detours (Matt. 7:13:14). Elephants also travel in herds and are never alone, much like Christians who walk with their fellow brethren and the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16, Eph. 2:19-22).
Another similarity elephants have with Christians is that they are lovers of peace and all things good (Phil. 4:8). We know this because elephants—like humans—are some of the few creatures in the world who mourn their dead for years to come. Elephants also follow their leader with the utmost obedience. Their focus is solely to stay on the path of their matriarch, who is their guide. Likewise, as Christians we are supposed to follow Christ with the utmost obedience and confidence (John 14:15 and Phil. 1:4-6). Lastly, elephants have a good reason for traversing all the obstacles in their life. The elephant’s reason to follow is so that they can escape the seasonal drought to obtain fresh water. Christian’s endure their struggles to grow spiritually mature, which then allows them to follow obediently and bring glory to God. The result of which is gaining entrance into Heaven as God has promised (1 John 5:11-13).
In conclusion, how do we follow Christ’s light like an elephant in 2021? As Christians, we must proactively seek ways to clear God’s path for all of us through any turmoil. Prayer and our faith in God’s light will show us how we can conquer any fear. We can choose to spread God’s light and love into the world by our individual actions and presence. In doing so, other people will walk on God’s path and our country will be united under the banner of His love. Instead of quarreling with those who are different and disagree with us, let us be like an elephant with Jesus’ example.
