A Day in the Sahel

Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? … It is God who sits above the circle of the earth … He is the one who spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them … “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

Isaiah 40:12,22,25

My travels today took me to Maigatari, a town at the extreme north of this country, one kilometer from the Nigeria-Niger border. The topography, climate, vegetation and people of this area are, to say the least, intriguing. As we started on our trip, about 20 minutes out of Dutse, Jigawa state capital, we came across a caravan of a dozen camels led by a young boy, perhaps about 10 years old. The beastly animals were strolling casually, moving north at a leisurely pace. We quickly passed them and proceeded to our destination.

The first thing anyone would notice about this place is the heat. It is, in a word, unbearable. The only thing worse than the blazing sun is the breeze. Yes, the breeze. The air itself was so hot that we had to wind up our car windows and endure the oven-like conditions of a closed car rather than be exposed to the blast of hot air.

As we approached Maigatari, the vegetation became noticeably sparer until only the occasional shrub showed up. Tumbleweed punctuated the highway every few kilometers, like a Clint Eastwood western. The terrain was so spare and flat that it was possible to take in all God's earth for miles around in every direction, right up to the horizon. Everything was covered in a sea of brown with only the occasional island of green where a particularly hardy breed of shrub was still kicking strong despite the harsh dryness.

As if we needed any confirmation that we were on the borders of the Sahara, our hired vehicle got caught in the loose sand. As we stepped out of the car to help push it free I inadvertently lost a slipper and stepped on the sand. It was so hot, I promise I could have fried an egg, sunny-side-up, had I a frying-pan to hand. How some kids could play around barefooted in this sand was quite beyond me.

Our wilderness experience wouldn't have been complete without, of course, the occasional mirage. Add to that a true mini-sandstorm. Okay, in truth, it was just a whirlwind, but it painted everything around in a coat of brown and made the end-of-day shower that much more refreshing.

As we made the trip back to Dutse, a full six hours after we first left, we came across the same camel caravan. The camels were regal in their bearing, tall, brown and fearless. It would seem they had not stopped for a moment's rest and they could have carried on another full day. We stopped to take pictures but the caravan leader jumped down and ran towards us, shouting. He insisted that we not take pictures unless we gave them some money. When we said we had none to give, he dipped his hand in his own pocket saying, "Well, if you don't have then I will give you my money!" Amazing!

I learned that even in the driest, hottest, most arid parts of this earth, God's creation still retains it's great, if enigmatic, beauty. Praise God for the Sahel!

With love, Doosuur.

If you find the time, please read Isaiah 40 and worship our creative God with me.

Why did the Goat Cross the Road?

How is it, Maecenas, that no one lives contented with his lot, whether he has planned it for himself or fate has flung him into it, but yet he praises those who follow different paths?

Horace (65-8 BC), Roman poet

The Myth of the Greener Grass.

I remember once, travelling by road somewhere in the West, a trio of young goats ran across the road in front of our commercial car, causing the driver to hit the brakes and swerve to avoid hitting them.

"What are they looking for on that side of the road that is not on this side?" one passenger remarked. A pretty astute observation, I think. Perhaps the goats assumed that the grass on the other side was sweeter, or at least greener.

Maybe it's the same reason why you think her dress is prettier than yours, his wife is more beautiful than yours or their son is smarter and more responsible than yours. The same reason why your neighbor's lawn looks that particular shade of green. It's the Myth of the Greener Grass. It's premise is that the grass is always greener on the other side. We all fall victim to this belief at one time or the other. Think about it. How many times have you compared yourself with someone else and come up short? How often do you think things would be different and better if you found yourself in someone else's shoes? Psychologists suggest that this is why many men suffer the mid-life crisis. All of a sudden they wake up and realize that the life they've been living could be better. It certainly looks better on others.

Well there's news for you. It may not be particularly good news, but it's true. The grass is just as green on the other side. Now it may be true that our circumstances are dependent on what "fate" (if you will allow it) has thrown our way. But to the larger extent, it's less about what comes your way and more about what you do with it. It's our prerogative to make the most of the life we've been given to live and, when we've done that, to find contentment with our lot in life. The other guy may be looking over into your own yard and envying your lawn. It works both ways.

When we go chasing shadows we hurt others who depend upon us for stability and love. Find satisfaction in your life and enjoy your patch of grass to the fullest. At least it is yours and no-one will take that from you.

With love, Doosuur.

Why did the Sheep Cross the Road?

… A doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea ... People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.

James 1:6-8

Here's a question for you. Which animal is smarter? More intelligent? Sheep or goats? You probably answer "Goats", right? Everyone knows sheep are stupid, dumb animals. But then consider this: How come it is that goats are so much more likely to be roadkill than sheep? I remember only a couple of times seeing a dead sheep by the roadside. But goats? More than I can count. Perhaps the reason is that by nature goats are more likely to graze by the roadside while sheep are more domesticated and stay at home. Be that as it may, I believe there is another important reason: Goats are too smart for their own good.

The thing about sheep is that they're mostly predictable - it's quite easy for the driver of a car to know what the sheep will do. It usually has one mind - it's instinct and natural urge to follow. They will probably cross the road in a column, behind their leader, and once they've started across, they are unlikely to turn round or make sudden moves. Once they head off, they will get to their destination at the same pace. The driver is thus able to make a good judgment to either speed up, slow down or steer clear to avoid the sheep.

Goats for their part are considerably less predictable. In a moment of crisis they are likely to be caught in two minds - their instinct versus their unfortunately smart brain. It is difficult for them to condense all the information in an instant - survival instinct, distance across the road in either direction, speed of the car, their own speed, etc - and so they make sudden, unexpected and poorly informed moves that often result in accident and death. Their own wisdom may be superior to that of sheep but, because it is incomplete, it is their undoing.

Perhaps now it is easier to see why Jesus would use sheep to represent the good guys in his parable of Matthew 25. I will not go so far as to suggest that God will have us be unthinking individuals with no personal opinion but, like sheep, it will do us a world of good if our principal sentiment is to follow in the steps of our leader, even when trouble is coming our way. That way we will remain safe.

The goats which, according to the parable, are sorted to the left side of the shepherd represent those destined for eternal punishment. Perhaps we act like goats when we let conflicting emotions - emotions like doubt, pride, lust, greed and malice - cloud our judgment and leave us in two minds. The result is the same - Death.

So, for once, I'd much rather be a stupid sheep than a wise goat.

With love, Doosuur.

Independence Day

A Learner's Dilemma

People-Watching

At the Dentist

... Though I have received wonderful revelations from God, ... to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud.

2 Corinthians 12:7

So I finally made it to the dentist to have my tooth checked out. As he examined me he discovered that it was my last molar, upper left, that was giving me such trouble. Interestingly, the dentist noted, the last molars are indeed the most useless and, at the same time, the most troublesome teeth. You could lose all four of your last molars, he informed me, and still retain 99% of your chewing capacity. On the other hand, because of their reclusive location and their proximity to the buccal folds, food tends to get trapped nearby, serving as a nidus for infection and decay.

So useless, so troublesome. A terrible combination. It's as though this tooth causes trouble just to get your attention. Since it's apparently so useless, it has to do something to get noticed.

I can imagine that Paul debated this very matter with himself when he talked about the nature of the Body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12, comparing it to the human body. He opines, "God has put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other equally. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad."

Yes, who would ever notice that poor old tooth if it didn't give me trouble. Is there a lesson in there somewhere? I think so. If you ask yourself, critically, when you're most likely to pray, you'd probably answer when you're in trouble. We tend to give priority in prayer and concern to the troublesome areas of our lives, and rightfully so. Sometimes, perhaps, it might be God's way of drawing our attention to certain areas of our lives that need prayer and action. Perhaps, too, that is why Paul was given his "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12), to draw his attention to the problem of pride.

So when next I suffer such pain, physical or emotional, I have to take pause and think, "Is God trying to get my attention?"

With love, Doosuur.

Born Again

And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.

Ephesians 3:18

I was having lunch yesterday when an old classmate of mine popped in. I had not seen him since before National Service so, naturally I was glad. The rendezvous was made all the more pleasant by some great news he had to give me.

You see, this friend of mine has been a Muslim for as long as I have known him, some ten years. Perhaps you, like me, have long desired the salvation of an associate or friend. We even feel guilty because it may seem that we want them saved more than others. You think about your friend, "She's so nice, so friendly, so … everything. If only she were a Christian." That's exactly the way I felt about this guy. He appears so complete in other areas of his life that it was that much more painful to see him heading the wrong way, so far as God is concerned.

But yesterday, he had good news for me. "I am now 'born again'" he said to me, quite matter-of-factly.

I felt a flush over my face as I was momentarily silent. It took a moment for that simple statement to sink in. My first response was disbelief. "Please stop joking," I said. "You shouldn't joke about things like that." But as he persisted and another friend confirmed it, I could see that he was actually serious.

"Why?", "How?", "When?", the questions started pouring in as my excitement grew. Apparently, he had considered it for awhile. He remembered the long-term prayers of his aunt (over a period of about 12 years) and, in his estimation, this was the single most important factor. Then there was the influence of friends and some Christian family members. But he made the final decision in the quiet of his room. "If anyone really wants to see the truth," he said, "it is quite obvious to see."

Many people contributed to this young man's transformation but the work was all that of the Holy Spirit. Whether tilling his heart, planting the seed or watering, it all served a single purpose. And thank God for that.

I just want to join the angels of heaven and God's congregation to rejoice in the salvation of this brother.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Sule Ibrahim Jibrin is saved!

With love, Doosuur.

Please join me and pray Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3 on his behalf.