When you look at the painting as a whole, you can see the cracked earth of a desert riddled with thorns. At the top left, you can see a man dragging a cross through this unforgiving environment. The image represents the struggle of life that one, as a Christian, in this world must endure. So many people think that when you are born again life becomes easy, but, in a secular environment, a Christian must endure many temptations and hardships in order to follow Christ.