Mother Hen

Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I'd never forget you - never.

Isaiah 49:15

I was eating breakfast at our resident mai shai (local café) yesterday morning when mother hen came by with her seven little chicks in tow, chirping in harmony. She was squawking something furious about her kids not having had something to eat so I decided to share my food with them. I tossed her some crumbs and with each piece of bread that fell to the ground, she'd pick it up and place it in front of one of the chicks. She herself did not eat a thing. "Just how desperate is she to feed her young'uns?" I wondered. So I showed her a piece of bread in my hand but I didn't drop it. Well, she jumped right up and plucked the crumb out of my fingers and dutifully set it in front of the next chick.

I was momentarily distracted, and when I came to I discovered that they had stopped their noisy chirping. I looked to see what had become of the family but all I could see was mother hen in an awkward pose, halfway between a stand and a squat with little chick feet sticking out from underneath. She was gathering them under her wings to shelter then from the harmattan cold. Her posture seemed to be most uncomfortable - she could not stand fully since she wanted to keep them warm, but she could not squat either as her weight might crush them under. So she just half-stood there. The sight reminded me of one of those classic punishments from secondary school.

The care of a mother hen for her chicks is legendary. Even Jesus refers to it, exclaiming, "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! … How often I've ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn't let me." (Matthew 23:37) Such was his compassion for people. But he did more than just care. You see, God did not just risk His life to give us a good meal. He did more. He gave it up. He actually, really, died so that we might live. He goes the extra mile, everyday, just for our sake so we can live healthy, sleep soundly and eat bountifully. He's always on the lookout for us, even when we're as clueless to His means as those chicks were to the hassles of their mother.

Well, thank God for that!

With love, Doosuur.

Missing socks

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Hebrews 13:6

I recently visited home in Jos, from my "service" station. It just so happens that I forgot to take along a pair of socks. So I went into my old room, looking for what I might wear. I found seven socks. No, not seven pairs of socks. Seven individual stockings, all of them dark blue or black, but not a single one matched. Oh bother!

Reminds me of this joke I once read:

Q: What does it mean when all your socks match?

A: You've started losing them in pairs!

I even hear that some clothing companies have started making socks in threes so that when (not if) you lose one you'll still come up with a pair.

Thinking about this, I considered that if I and God were a sock and it's mate, it's no wonder that one of us always gets missing. And it's not Him. Do you notice how in Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, the prophets always rebuked the Israelites, telling them to "go back", "return", "seek the Lord while He may be found". Yes, this is the time when He'll always be found. He says in Hebrews, "never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

But on our part, it's so easy for us to desert Him. When we refuse to "abide", going our own way, doing our own thing, making the wrong decisions and willfully sinning. Problems we all encounter from one time to the other.

Just a thought guys, make some sense?

Love you all.

Preparing for the prince

That's what's happening here in Takai. They're preparing for the prince. Not the Prince of Peace. But the one person on earth who's got a really strong hold on that title. And I'm not talking about The Artist formerly known as Prince either. No. I'm talking about Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and heir to the British Throne.

We received a delegation a couple of days ago with the news. The prince is coming.

Well, in truth, I do not believe he's really going to come but all the hullabaloo that has followed this announcement is worth taking pause to comment on. Everywhere has been agog with activity. Old walls being repainted, ceiling fans changed, lights refitted, even the gate gets a makeover. Nothing strange here, after all, in this society "eye-service" is always key to progress.

Reminds me of the whitewashed walls Jesus talked about in the gospels. A lot of polishing and shining to hide the dirt that lies beneath.

But what strikes me most about this whole prepping experience is the significance that lies in that statement: "preparing for the prince". I'll tell you, it's a task worth doing, for the right Prince anyway. How much, I wonder am I doing in getting ready for the return of my Lord? Unfortunately for me, he will see through every whitewashed wall and every hastily-fitted gate, right down to what lies beneath. My preparation cannot be done in a hurry. It must be well considered, deliberate and sustainable. Every work we do, the Bible says, will be shown for what it's worth - whether good or bad. The fire will bring it to light.

So, like Jesus said, let us work while it is day. Night is coming when no-one can work.