A number of years ago, the then Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjold of Norway died when the airplane in which he was traveling on United Nations business crashed in the African country of Zambia. The plane’s destination had been the town of Nadola. After the accident, investigators searched the wreckage and the area around it for clues as to the cause of the accident. In the wreckage, the investigators came across an open map that showed a town near Leopoldville in the Congo that was called Nadolo. The pilot of the plane, evidently, was being guided in his landing by the map showing Nadolo. He must have assumed that he had a thousand more feet in altitude than he actually had. Nadola is at a higher altitude than Nadolo. As a result, the plane had crashed in an open field in the darkness of Africa. All the while the pilot thinking that he had a thousand more feet, but he didn’t! He had opened the map to the wrong section!
Such a small difference! The difference was between an “O” and an “A.” One letter was the only difference between the two towns. Two towns in two different countries with such a small difference in their names. However, that very small difference became the difference between life and death for Dag Hammarskjold and the others on the plane that night.
Many times a small difference, a small misunderstanding can mean the difference between a disaster and a destination. Sadly, there will be many who will have disasters with respect to their eternal destiny because they assumed, were careless or misunderstood the truth that leads to eternal life. Many there are that are traveling the broad way that leads to destruction rather than the narrow way that leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14). Let us never assume that we know the way or that someone that we respect knows the way. Let us never be careless in following the directions that we have been given in God’s Word to guide us to our eternal home. Let us always be careful to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) that we not misunderstand the directions that we have received.
Remember, Jesus is the only way to eternal life (John 14:6) and that there is a way that seems right to man, but in reality it is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). May we always be sure to follow the right direction.
