Learning the Roads of Kano, Part 2

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

1 Peter 3:15

In my previous write-up I emphasized how we must focus on what we know, rather than on what we can remember. "But," you say, "how can one know anything without first learning it? And how can one learn something without first committing it to memory?" Good point. I didn't always know how to navigate Kano, no sir.

I remember when, as a rookie corper, I was dropped off in the middle of Kano's business district during rush-hour. I felt like that yellow circle in the 1980's classic computer game, Pac-Man, trapped in an elaborate labyrinth, with careening motorbikes and speeding cars converging on me like alien monsters. Driving in Kano was an ordeal, indeed it still is. They seem to have their own Driving Code and it has one rule only: Don't Die. Anything else is permissible. It was hard enough trying to stay alive, let alone learning how to navigate the maze of human and vehicular traffic to get to my destination. Add to that the fact that just about every road in Kano starts and ends in a roundabout and, worst of all, they all seem to look the same.

With time, I began to learn the way around some particular place of interest: this is how to get to the restaurant; take this road to church; this street leads to the hospital. I learned my way around little sections of the city at a time and gradually I would come to some intersection at the boundary of a particular quarter and, voila, there was something I recognized - a traffic light, a billboard or, yes, a roundabout. "Oh, so this is where I am!" I would exclaim as realization flooded over me. So, my knowledge of the greater part of Kano came from connecting my knowledge of the different sectors of the city together like the pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle. That's one way to do it.

And then there's Abuja. You know the motif - wide roads, beautiful landscape, picturesque high rise buildings. The good news is that, unlike Kano, the roundabouts are kept to a respectable number. The bad news is that everything else looks exactly the same. I recently shared my concerns about getting round Abuja with a friend and he in turn related how another friend gets around his quandary. He has a "spot" in Abuja from where he can find just about anywhere else. It's like the center of a big spider's web. Whenever he cannot find his way, he heads back to that spot and starts out from there.

So there you have it. One method focuses on putting the puzzle together one piece at a time. Another bases it's success on working from the center, the hub if you like, outward. The common denominator, however, is that both begin with what is known, whether it is the puzzle piece (that neighborhood of Kano) or the center of the web (that spot in Abuja).

So then, I ask you. What do you know? What truth do you hold as of highest importance in your mind. What is that belief that no one can take away from you? It is important that you settle these things between yourself and God because there will be times of testing - a questioning colleague, an unexpected illness, a troubled spouse - that will push your faith to the limit. When those times come, connect the pieces, head for the hub, fall back to what you know and let God help you find your way back to faith and trust.

With love, Doosuur.

Learning the Roads of Kano, Part 1

For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts … They can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.

Romans 1:19,20

It's a good thing I served in Kano state. You should have seen me today as I directed my driver through the streets of the ancient city as if I had drawn the map myself. I was pretty proud of myself, I must say, giving directions to a seasoned driver in a foreign city. His knowledge went only so far as the boundaries of Jigawa state, and Kano city, for him, was uncharted territory. So, naturally, I became his guide: "Go straight at the intersection … take a right here … slow down, you'll soon turn … can you see that green signboard?" I was in my element.

The good thing about it is that giving the directions came naturally for me. I didn't have to think hard or make any calculations. I didn't wonder, should we take this road or that? It all came to me without effort. Why? Because I remembered the way? No, not because I remembered but because I knew the way. Same difference you say? Well the distinction may be very subtle but sometimes it can mean a lot. Let me explain.

If you ask me my sister's name, I don't have to think about it. Her name is Nguavese and I can bet my life on it. I don't remember that it is her name. I know it for a fact. But then ask me who's that guy Austine just introduced me to. "Uhh, Obiora" I answer, because I remember when he said, "meet my friend Obiora." But I won't stake anything on it. For one thing, he may have said "Obioha" and I just didn't hear right, or maybe he told an untruth, or maybe Austine wasn't sure himself.

Do you see my point? Knowledge is so far superior to memory. Any good student will tell you that. It's so much easier to pass an exam when you actually know what you're writing about rather than just gushing out hastily-crammed snippets of information. Knowledge is indisputable. If you know something, you know it, period. Your memory on the other hand could easily be flawed.

So here's what I've learned. As a young, growing Christian, it is essential that I focus on what I know because that is what will see me through when the going gets tough. And it does get tough. Which of us has not struggled with questions of faith. Who can say he has not at some point been confused on some point of theology or other. Some of us have faced such difficulties on a larger and more staggering scale than others, but my advice is the same to everyone, regardless: Ask whatever question you will, search wherever you will, but when all is said and done, focus on what you know and have become convinced of because what you know for a fact will not be taken from you.

I may learn the fine points, but when my faith is challenged, trying to remember that verse or that quotation could easily be counterproductive. I must not ask myself, "Doosuur what can you remember?" If I start from what I know, I believe the rest will follow.

And here is what I know: "The Lord is God, and the Lord is good." And that will have to do.

With love, Doosuur.

Don't miss the second part, next.

A Little Bird Told Me

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…

Romans 5:3-5

These last several days I've been woken up in the morning by the insistent tapping of a little bird on my window. I wish I knew Morse Code so I could interpret what secrets little birdie is trying to tell me. He is a study in persistence as he pecks the window, hops around a little and returns to peck the same spot, over and over again. I wonder what this is all about. Is he trying to get through the window to the other side? Or is this perhaps some part of an elaborate mating ritual? Or maybe he's just having some morning exercise. I don't know. But this I do know: as insistent and unflinching as he may be, barring a major miracle, he's never going to get through the thick glass.

In Jesus' Parable of the Persistent Widow, Luke 18, he tells of a woman who got justice for herself and her family by her insistence. Luke starts his narrative this way, "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." There is a lot of value in the teaching of this passage - that we must be persistent and insistent, even in prayer, and we will get what we ask for. But through our own experience we know that we do not always get what we desire. Sometimes we find ourselves up against a thick glass wall, pecking away with no help in sight. What do we do then?

I've learned two things from little birdie. First of all, keep trying. The thing about life that we must keep in mind is that it is not a destination. Life is a journey and getting where we are going is only a little part of it. The trials and testings we face are what make life what it is. So, to the extent that we can, we ought to bask in the sunlight of our testing. The thing about perseverance is that it builds in us character: traits such as hope, resilience and patience. We may not get to the destination, but like the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11:39&40) that may be because there is something much better in store.

The other thing I've come to understand from watching my feathery friend is to take a break. He doesn't pound on the window for too long at a time. Like I said, he pauses between glass-pecking sessions to hop around a bit, and once the morning session is over, he flies away till the next day. In our endless drive to succeed we must learn the value of taking a step back to evaluate what it is we are about. Remember what James said, "And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong..." (James 4:3) When we take a break, aside from giving us a chance for much-needed rest it enables us to look at things critically and, perhaps objectively, and decide whether our pursuits are really worth running after.

By the way, I finally deciphered what little birdie was trying to tell me all along. It's quite simple really: "Wake up oh sleeper! Rise … and … shine." (Ephesians 5:14)

With love, Doosuur.

True Confessions

… You are a slave to whatever controls you.

2 Peter 2:19

I have an addiction. Actually, it seems I always have done.

It happens at different periods of my life, my obsession with something. It just captivates me and seems to take up just about all my time. Sometimes it's constructive, sometimes it's just wasteful. At one time it was keyboards, then chess, then the internet. Lately, it's been this football management game on my laptop. Testing my skills against the likes of a virtual Mourinho and Ferguson has been pretty exhilarating. I return to it moment after moment to get my own little "high".

Like all true addictions, it started pretty insidiously and gradually grew on me. At the beginning, it was just an interesting way to pass time while waiting for this or that. But then it slowly became something to look forward to. I no longer used it to pass time. I made time to indulge myself. Sad huh?

Now recognizing that it had become an addiction was not really that hard to do. I mean, it was staring me in the face. There was no "moment" when I said to myself, "Okay, you're in some trouble here." I just kind of knew that if one single thing was taking so much of my time then it was pretty dangerous.

Now here's where it gets interesting. I thought all I needed to do to get over it was to delete it from my computer. Nothing could be further from the truth. You should see the flourish with which I hit the uninstall button and my pride as I watched the laptop go through the motions of taking Football Manager out of my life. "There, I've done it" I announced to myself with pride. But that was only the beginning. The hard part was still to come. You see, deleting the program could not cure my addiction any more than throwing away a pack of cigarettes can curb a nicotine dependency. The problem is not the object of the addiction but the craving. While the desire remains it is intensely difficult to get on with anything else and you look for ways to satisfy yourself.

So here I was, no Football Manager to play with and bored stiff with nothing to do. I've learned, more from theory than experience, that the best way to get rid of an addiction is to turn to something else. Thankfully, I could turn back to my laptop and tell you all this story and hope that by sharing this somebody out there might hold me accountable. I'm sharing this also for the few of you that struggle with similar problems in your life. For one thing, know that you are not alone. And what's more, you can have victory! I'm working towards mine.

With love, Doosuur.