On Safari

Have you ever been on a safari? My friends who have been say they are amazing, life-changing experiences.

Once your plane lands, the safari company takes care of all the arrangements. They plan your travel, your rooms, your meals, your adventures. A High School classmate of mine who works for one of these companies tells about the amount of thought and planning that goes into making these experiences enjoyable, memorable, and as pain-free as possible.

A safari exposes you to a new world; encourages you to see the interconnection of people and nature; gives you an appreciation of vastly different cultures. Those who have been pause in silence while remembering the awe they experienced.

Of course, there is travel, expense, and discomfort involved in going on a safari. There is a fear of the unknown that holds many of us back. Talking with those who have been on the journey is reassuring. Talking with someone who works in the industry gives you a deeper insight into the daily wonders, and dangers, of living in a bush camp; of the efforts made to give visitors the best possible experience; and the importance of a healthy, supportive relationship with the local villages.

It may feel like a bit of a stretch, but often I feel I am on safari with God. I have signed up and gotten on the plane, but He is planning out all the details; He is setting up the adventures.

For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. Ephesians 2:10

This is my 52nd post. I was not sure I would make it – a year of weekly posts. That’s a lot of self discipline I didn’t know I had. But God has been there, is here, for every step of this adventure.

He has given me words, and ideas, and a garden, and a computer, and Christian friends. I have no delusions that this little blog is changing the world, but I remain convinced that God wants me to write it, and continue writing it. And that’s enough.

I don’t need to know today what adventures the Lord has planned for me in the future. I don’t need to plan them myself. Like the guide on a safari, God knows what places to avoid, where the best viewing is, and what experiences will benefit me. I will trust Him to lead me.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

He has exposed me to a world I knew little about. He has shown me how much more there is to know. He has deepened my sense of interconnection with the world, and given me an appreciation of vastly different cultures.

Of course, there is spiritual travel, emotional expense, and intellectual discomfort involved in trusting God to lead me. There is a fear of the unknown that sometimes holds me back. Talking with those who have been on the journey, with other believers, is reassuring. Talking with someone who works in the industry, with ministers and faith leaders, gives me a deeper insight into the daily wonders, and dangers, of Christian living; of the efforts made by the Church to give visitors the best possible experience; and the importance of a healthy, supportive relationship with the surrounding community.

But I have to pause in silence as I remember the awe I have experienced in His presence. Nothing can compare.

I will go before you and level the mountains. I will break into pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. Isaiah 45:2-3

Will you go on the God safari with me? It is an amazing, life-changing experience.

Betsy