A Moment of Rest

If I could sum up my life right now I’d sum it up with the song “Big Sam Thompson” by Chris Thile. I find it somewhat ironic that I am listening to bluegrass music in the 105 degree heat of a parched Sudan, as I typically associate bluegrass music with the back-country hills of America where the music seems to blend with the beauty of the mountains and the changing of the seasons. Nonetheless, I swing gently in my hammock and listen as the music winds its way through the rafters of my thatch home; the violin’s melody hovering in the hot air, punctuated by the piercing notes of the mandolin. I sway in my hammock, sweating in the extreme afternoon heat, and let the music remind me of all that is beautiful and painful in this world, because after all, the music if filled with both beauty and pain.
I think there are times when our lives really could be put to a song that speaks of the hardships, victories and love we are encountering. We go through the day uncertain of what might befall us, trusting that regardless of what may come, there is One who knows what he is doing with our lives. As I prepare to move on from my present work, there are a lot of uncertainties that lie ahead, looming like some vast precipice on the horizon. In times like this it is far too easy to forget to look around. It is far to easy to miss the beauty that is never too far beyond our next footfall. I am reminded over and over again that we are told to “wait on the Lord”. I think that perhaps part of waiting is also taking the time to look around; taking the time to let the music lift our spirits out of dumps and just reveling in the wonder of the moment we are in regardless of all the doubt and fear it may hold.
My dad and his good friend Mukanirwa like to remind each other is Swahili, “Usi tembea imbele ya Yesu”, which simply means, “you shouldn’t walk in front of Jesus”. It is a great reminder when times are uncertain. Getting ahead of Jesus usually leads to falling off the precipice of uncertainty that lies ahead, while following him leads to green pastures and cool waters where the soul is refreshed and Jesus gets the glory.
Maybe I am just suffering a nostalgic moment on a quiet afternoon as I listen to my music, but then again, it is a moment filled with longing and waiting for the King. It is a moment when, despite the questions that plague the road ahead, I am able to rest because I know the One who knows the answers to all those questions.


Also I wanted to let you know that I have started a separate blog for some of my attempts at poetry. If you're interested it can be found at the wazi poet.