Beggars In Bakeries

He saved us not because of righteous things we had done but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:5

I went to Oasis Bakery, a local patisserie that specializes in assorted breads, cakes and other pastries, last night to get the family's "daily bread" - a fluffy, brown loaf of our favorite Big Coconut Bread. As I stood at the counter waiting to be served, I noticed a particularly filthy-looking boy in the bread shop, talking to a couple of the store attendants. "How did he get in here?" I thought as I looked him over. The plastic bowl he held in his hand identified him as an Almajiri, a member of an antiquated, and now abused, Islamic system of apprenticeship for boys and young men that emphasizes servitude and self-denigration. These lads are set apart by the way they look, always dirty, unkempt and decidedly indigent, dressed in rags and carrying around their begging bowls looking for handouts of money, food and any scraps society may throw their way.

This young boy looked very out of place in the clean and sophisticated insides of the bakery and I paid closer attention to see what this might be about. As I watched, one of the attendants went to the shelf behind her and picked out a nice loaf of bread and gave it to the boy. That's when it hit me - he wasn't here begging for food or looking for scraps. He was here for the same reason as me - to buy bread. I watched him as he walked to the counter to pay for his prize. His gait was timid and his bearing nervous, if not fearful, and I could see why. He was in unfamiliar territory. Such was his bashfulness that he shyly curtsied like a girl when he gave the salesgirl his money.

But for all this, no-one could take anything away from him - he had the right to be there. He was here not because of the state of the clothes on his back but because of the color of the paper in his hand. He may have lived as a mendicant on the fringes of society all his life but here and now, he could stand with me because the money in his hand said he could. His cash was his key, it spoke for him.

Now we are not so far removed from this poor boy as we might think. Aren't we ourselves beggars, too unworthy to even ask for a part in eternity? Don't we know just how filthy and undeserving of a place in God's house we are? After all, our best attires the Bible summarily dismisses as "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Like the Prodigal Son we all cry, "I am no longer worthy to be your child" (Luke 15:21). However we view ourselves - evil, bad, good or very good - all that counts for nothing. All that matters is where we stand with God and what Christ does for us. Don't you just love that verse - "… while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Wonderfully good news! My salvation has nothing to do with how good I am. It has everything to do with how generous He is.

And all of a sudden, the beggar deserves to be in the presence of the King. I deserve to be in heaven. What a wonderful statement. I deserve it because Christ speaks for me and He says so. Period.

With love, Doosuur.

Serendipity

For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song.

Zephaniah 3:17

ser·en·dip·i·ty [sèrrən díppətee]

noun

1. discovery of something fortunate: the accidental discovery of something pleasant, valuable, or useful
2. gift for discovery: a natural gift for making pleasant, valuable, or useful discoveries by accident*

It's my all-time favorite word, serendipity. I really don't know why. Maybe it's the way it sounds, the way it rings as it rolls off your tongue: "Serendipity". Maybe it's because it starts with serene and elicits feelings of peacefulness and calm. Maybe it's the child in me that enjoys unwrapping gifts to find out what I got for my birthday. I guess it's in all of us, the desire to discover something pleasant, something valuable, something useful.

Now imagine the thrill I got when I first read Zephaniah 3:17, "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Oh what beauty! Solomon, for all his lyrical prowess, could not nearly elicit such feelings of love and affection as this verse does. God, THE CREATOR-GOD HIMSELF, takes great delight in me, calms my deep concerns with his love, and sings, actually sings! because of me. What breath-taking wonder!

Now take a step back and try to capture the moment, the emotion behind these words. Remember that time when you fell in love with that special person. Remember the thoughts? the feelings? the butterflies in your stomach? Remember the exhilaration you experienced at the mention of her name? Can you still feel the titillating sensations provoked by the lightest brush of his hand against yours? Their simplest smile brought out the poet in you. Their mildest hurt became your personal pain. Their joys made you dance. Is it then so hard to imagine why someone would so delight in you as to sing a song in your name and give you a loving hug to make you feel safe? Love made you do it and love makes Him to do it.

You see, unlike us, God doesn't get tired of loving. The honeymoon is never over so far as He's concerned. He's just as ready to get up and dance, to take up the guitar and serenade you. He's crazy about you! Yes, there's no greater discovery than to understand God's love. What joy! What beauty! What serendipity!

With love, Doosuur.

*Source: Microsoft® Encarta® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

We must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Acts 20:35

Rain, Rain, go away, come again another day.

That's exactly how I felt this afternoon as I stood on the hospital walkway, staring at the gloomy skies and sodden earth, listening to the rain pitter-patter on the tin canopy. I was tired, hungry and more than a little miffed. The driver had gone for his Friday prayers and, while waiting for him, it had begun to rain. And the rain refused to let up. A full one-and-a-half hours it poured, perhaps more rain than Gumel has experienced so far this year.

So I just stood there, knotted brow and all, my hands folded in annoyance across my chest, staring into space and wondering what in the world I was going to do. I was a full two hours drive away from my destination and the day was wearing on minute after slow minute. It had been a very busy day and all I wanted was a hot meal and a cold shower.

I was in such a huff I hardly noticed the sick young boy, bundled up in a wrapper, lying on the bench on the causeway right next to me. His middle-aged mother tried to help him up and I thought she was going to take him back into the ward but when he finally managed to stand up she turned towards me and asked me to have a seat. I was amazed! Why would she put her sick son to such trouble just to make me feel comfortable? Had she somehow noticed my frustration or was she just being nice and respectful. My face broke into a smile and I could feel my heart thaw as warmth flooded over me. I politely declined her offer and as I walked away I couldn't help blessing her for her kindness.

All of a sudden I felt like inconsiderate Jonah outside of Nineveh, unhappy at God's gift of kindness (this time in the form of rain) just because it put me at some discomfort. And here was an aging woman and her sick son shaming me by their selflessness. Both of them were weaker than me but they chose to serve me by making me comfortable. What's more, I believe they would have done the same thing any day of the week to just about anyone. What blessedness!

For all their kindness, I could not think another unkind thought all day, so long as I remembered them. And now I'm indebted. I must find someone else to infect with this kindness. The contented smile on their face told me that they were more blessed when they gave to me than I could ever be by receiving their gift. Yes, they got the better deal!

With love, Doosuur.