That simple invention at the shopping centre or airport, the one designed to make life easier, can also serve as a profound metaphor for life. Escalators are convenient, carrying people—sometimes lazy people—up or down without effort. But have you ever gotten caught up in a crowd on an escalator and found yourself heading somewhere you didn’t plan to go? Before you know it, you're moving in a direction that demands backtracking, careful navigation, and intentionality to get back on course.
This is not just a mechanical reality; it’s a spiritual one. Life often presents us with "escalators"—crowds and choices that seem harmless at first but carry us to destinations far from where we wanted or were meant to be. I know this firsthand.
Caught in the Crowd
As a 13-year-old kid, I experienced my first taste of “the escalator effect.” I found a packet of cigarettes and was immediately captivated by their allure. Just holding them gave me a thrill. I didn’t start smoking right away; instead, I toyed with them, hid them, and shared them with the "cool" kids at school. That initial thrill of rebellion was intoxicating.
Eventually, curiosity gave way to action. I smoked one with my friends, and the rush of doing something so taboo was overwhelming. It felt like stepping onto an escalator heading somewhere dangerous but exciting. I smoked so many that first day I vomited. I swore I’d never touch another cigarette again. Yet, just days later, I was back at it. The desire to fit in, to belong, was stronger than my resolve to quit.
By the time I was 17, smoking was a habit. I didn’t see it as a problem—it was what my crowd was doing, and I was young. I told myself there’d be plenty of time to quit later.
The Escalator of Life
Escalators don’t just move us physically; they symbolise how easy it is to drift with the crowd. What starts as an innocent step can lead us to places we never intended to go.
Years later, in 2006, I found myself deeply entrenched in habits I thought I’d left behind. Smoking, drinking, clubbing—it wasn’t just about the behaviours; it was about the crowd I was following. These were good people, some of the best friends anyone could ask for. But the truth was, I was lost. The crowd was heading in one direction, and deep down, I knew God was calling me somewhere else.
Countless times, I told my friends I was done. “I’m quitting drinking, smoking, partying—it’s over,” I’d say. But I was weak. No matter how much I tried to reverse course, I found myself back in the same place, doing the same things, stuck on the same escalator, unable to get off.
One Step Changed Everything
In late 2006, I realized I couldn’t keep living like this. I wasn’t just tired of my habits; I was tired of myself. I had to step out of the crowd—not because my friends were bad, but because I was lost. I took that first step off the escalator, choosing to walk away from everything I had known, trusting God to handle the rest.
That one step was all it took. I didn’t have to have all the answers or the strength to fix everything. God met me where I was, broken and tired, and He took care of the rest. The old song says, “I choose You again and again,” but in that moment, I realised it wasn’t about me choosing God—it was about Him choosing me.
God’s Unshakeable Love
Looking back, I see the pattern. Over and over, I would choose God, only to fall back into old habits—at camp, I’d choose God; at a party, I’d choose the crowd; in church, I’d choose God; with friends, I’d choose the world. But through all of it, God never stopped choosing me.
No amount of cigarettes, drinks, or bad decisions could make Him love me less. He loved me at my lowest, not because I was perfect, but because He is. That’s the power of God’s love—it’s relentless, unchanging, and unconditional.
Stepping Off the Escalator
Have you ever felt stuck on an escalator, carried by the crowd to places you never wanted to go? Maybe you’re there right now, unsure of how to get off. Here’s the truth: it only takes one step. You don’t have to fix everything or figure it all out. Just step off the escalator and let God take care of the rest.
His love for you isn’t dependent on your success or failure. Whether you’ve made the same mistake a hundred times or are caught in a cycle you can’t break, He loves you regardless. He chose you—and there’s nothing you can do to change that.
A Final Thought
The escalator of life is easy to step onto but hard to get off without intentionality. The crowd might seem appealing, the thrill enticing, but it’s not worth losing sight of where God is calling you. Take the step today—step out of the crowd, off the escalator, and into the arms of the One who has loved you all along.
Today Alisya and i had to go to our bi weekly check up at the hospital, just to check out how the baby is going. The same old thing with the same old results every time we went, I began to wonder why we have to go every fortnight for this check ups wen it all seems to be going great. Only to realise what a stupid thought that really was, so many things can go wrong, and the smallest detail can mean something totally horrible, something i never want to experience.
