Wednesday Devotional: Point Nemo and the Importance of Connection

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

I'm a map nerd. I love to study maps. My largest wall map has a fascinating place marked on it called Point Nemo, which in the photo, you see as an orange box between New Zealand and Chile.

In Latin, Nemo means "no one." Point Nemo is the ocean location that is farthest from any land; the closest land is 1,700 miles away. While Point Nemo is a singular point, it represents a larger, lonely area 34 times the size of France. It is so remote that this is where space agencies aim to ditch their dying equipment. Point Nemo's zone will be the final resting place of the International Space Station.

What's more interesting to me is that Point Nemo is a marine desert. Very little lives there. Unlike the coastal seas, where nutrients from the land lead to multiple tiers in the food chain, there are few nutrients at Point Nemo. Hence, there is no small marine life, which means large fish have nothing to eat. It's truly an underwater desert, devoid of life.

To me, this underscores the importance of connection in our lives: connection to God, connection to others. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 4 on how people need each other. We are better off when we can share life with others.

Certainly, there are times when we feel like we would be better off with less connection, especially when people annoy us. Solitude has its place as well. But generally speaking, we need each other to get through life. I've often said that I don't know how people get through life without a Sunday School class to walk beside them.

Another comparison to Point Nemo is that we can receive nutrients the closer we are to others. We can experience richness in the diversity of others, just like marine life flourishes with diversity.

Let us not be human deserts. Let us experience life, side by side with others and with God.

Be looking for my first Cecil Taylor Ministries Monthly Update, coming Nov. 1 on this page. I'll be connecting to all of my followers to share the latest about Cecil Taylor Ministries.