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.

Pesky Rodents

I hate rats. Lizards I can barely stand and cockroaches I detest. But rats, oh how I hate them. They're simply evil. Sometimes I think God must have created them after the Fall of Man as part of his punishment. There's no other apparent reason for their existence. It would seem their only job description is "destroy". Every other thing in creation seems to have a purpose: spiders control insects, bees pollinate flowers, even mosquitoes feed the fish. But rats!!! they seem to have never done a thing to contribute to the good of man.

I have a pet rat in my room that I've been trying to exterminate for a couple of weeks now. The problem is I have never actually seen it. Yeah I hear it, gnawing at wood while I'm trying to get some sleep. I've seen it's droppings just about everywhere. It shares the garri in my closet. And today I discovered to my dismay that it has chewed through my favorite wool sweater.

As I thought about this most annoying of creatures, I could hardly find anything to compare it to for it's most destructive power while remaining totally out of view. Hardly anything, that is, aside from sin. Yes I believe sin is just like these rats; so immensely destructive. It does it's work in the secret but the consequences are thrust out in the open like rat droppings. It eats away at what is best in our lives and has a knack for targeting what we've worked for years to achieve. It gives birth to other little sins if we are not diligent enough to root it out early enough.

It's so easy to see why Jesus considered it so important to teach his disciples to pray "deliver us from evil". And while you're at it Lord, deliver us from rats.

With love,

Doosuur