Everybody seems to be looking for more... no matter how much they already have. By this I don't only refer to material possessions but seeking the thrill, the adventure, the recognition, the fame... We all "need" more, a constant craving driving us. We search for it in various ways, relationships (or lack thereof), achievements in careers, reputations amongst our peers, chasing dreams that don't matter as much as our ultimate purpose does. Why do we never seem to reach what we're chasing? Why do other's lives always measure up "better" than our own?
Firstly, comparing our lives to others is never going to satisfy our lust for more unless we learn to compare with those who have less than we do rather than those whose lives (or aspects of) we envy and covet. Those we're comparing ourselves to, are ironically comparing their lives with our own too because they're not satisfied either and you can be assured that there are aspects of your life that they would rather have than their own too! It's time that we realise that we all occupy a unique niche', we all have a purpose to fulfil. When we read Ecclesiastes we see how this wise old man considered this late in his life too and he concludes throughout that we will not find it in money, we will not find it in relationships (no matter how intimate), we will not find it in sexual pleasures, not in entertainment or in any measure of recognition or fame or in any of our own accomplishments. No doubt these may bring some temporary measure of satisfaction and even happiness but it's not going to last. Until we find our satisfaction in our source of life and purpose, we will be "chasing after the wind".
It is only through a living saviour, through pure grace and forgiveness of this selfish searching, through Jesus Christ that we will begin to find some sort of lasting fulfilment within all of those secondary attempts at finding true happiness. We are loved, we are significantly important, we do have purpose in this life and a hope to live with every day, we need no more!!
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Monday, September 17, 2007
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
I've found the pot of gold
My apologies, it's been an entire month since I last posted anything. A clear indication however of how busy I've managed to find myself again. For the third year in a row, I have to admit that I landed my proverbial butt in the butter for my birthday. Two years ago, it was in Lower Zambezi at Chongwe River camp, last year at Vuyatela in Djuma game reserve and this year I was privileged to be staying at Lion Sands River Camp on my birthday. 
The experience was truly a personal one... the staff sang to me at dinner time, brought me an enormous chocolate cake and stencilled out "Happy Birthday Paul" in green twigs on my bed. As if that wasn't all enough, they included a pair of binoculars as a gift on my bed... at this point I feel it is only fitting to give Lion Sands a little bit of a punt.
This was not the pot of gold however... A few weeks later having travelled to Cape Town for a week already, an assignment took me off to Zambia, truly one of the most exquisite countries on this continent. We spent four days in and around Lusaka, an experience in itself as previously I've only really driven through this buzzing city. Apart from typical African Beaurocracy, it proved to be an okay city (as African cities go) & our presenter, Chilu managed to "paint it red" one night as we hopped from one nightspot to the next. It was our next port of call however that impressed on me the most in the past month.
Livingstone, or more simply... Vic Falls, is a destination that I would encourage everyone of you to visit at least once in your life. Despite the fact that it was my second visit, the place still impacted on me. We stayed in Songwe Village, a cultural experience without the exception of luxury. Once again (it seems to be becoming a habit) I found myself dancing to a drumbeat around a fire with local inhabitants. This time even wearing a "Chitenga", their traditional cloth that they sling over their shoulder. It never ceases to amaze me what liberty it is to let all inhibition go and to just go ahead and "dance like nobody is watching". (In Chilu's case however, all "Africa Within" viewers will get a glimpse into his evening).
The true pot of gold however, was found at Vic Falls itself. The spectacle, the thunder, the wet spray in your hair, the sheer vastness are reason enough to go back, and so we did... Having visited it once already to get some links with our presenter, we decided to go back late one afternoon to capture some more magic... and magic it was! They speak of the "pot of gold" at the end of a rainbow, I found that pot of gold. I struggled at first mind you because finding the end of a rainbow that completes a full circle is quite a challenge. After a few moments however, I realised that with the sun towards your back, the mighty Vic Falls below you and the "smoke that thunders" surrounding you, when you're truly getting soaked, the rainbow is the most intense rainbow you can imagine. Every colour is distinctly visible and the rainbow ascends out of the gorge, into the sky and arks all the way over the ridge, plunging into the surrounding rainforest. Spectacular!! For others standing a little way off, provided I was deep in the spray, it would appear that I was standing in the rainbow and let me tell you, I found the pot of gold! More valuable than any tangible amount of money or possessions was that sense of hope, of exhilaration, of Joy and of the presence of our creator and a realisation that we exist only to give glory!!
To get just a sense of this place (and other magnificent places), watch Africa Within on Friday's at 18:00 on SABC Africa Channel 53.
The experience was truly a personal one... the staff sang to me at dinner time, brought me an enormous chocolate cake and stencilled out "Happy Birthday Paul" in green twigs on my bed. As if that wasn't all enough, they included a pair of binoculars as a gift on my bed... at this point I feel it is only fitting to give Lion Sands a little bit of a punt.This was not the pot of gold however... A few weeks later having travelled to Cape Town for a week already, an assignment took me off to Zambia, truly one of the most exquisite countries on this continent. We spent four days in and around Lusaka, an experience in itself as previously I've only really driven through this buzzing city. Apart from typical African Beaurocracy, it proved to be an okay city (as African cities go) & our presenter, Chilu managed to "paint it red" one night as we hopped from one nightspot to the next. It was our next port of call however that impressed on me the most in the past month.
Livingstone, or more simply... Vic Falls, is a destination that I would encourage everyone of you to visit at least once in your life. Despite the fact that it was my second visit, the place still impacted on me. We stayed in Songwe Village, a cultural experience without the exception of luxury. Once again (it seems to be becoming a habit) I found myself dancing to a drumbeat around a fire with local inhabitants. This time even wearing a "Chitenga", their traditional cloth that they sling over their shoulder. It never ceases to amaze me what liberty it is to let all inhibition go and to just go ahead and "dance like nobody is watching". (In Chilu's case however, all "Africa Within" viewers will get a glimpse into his evening). 
The true pot of gold however, was found at Vic Falls itself. The spectacle, the thunder, the wet spray in your hair, the sheer vastness are reason enough to go back, and so we did... Having visited it once already to get some links with our presenter, we decided to go back late one afternoon to capture some more magic... and magic it was! They speak of the "pot of gold" at the end of a rainbow, I found that pot of gold. I struggled at first mind you because finding the end of a rainbow that completes a full circle is quite a challenge. After a few moments however, I realised that with the sun towards your back, the mighty Vic Falls below you and the "smoke that thunders" surrounding you, when you're truly getting soaked, the rainbow is the most intense rainbow you can imagine. Every colour is distinctly visible and the rainbow ascends out of the gorge, into the sky and arks all the way over the ridge, plunging into the surrounding rainforest. Spectacular!! For others standing a little way off, provided I was deep in the spray, it would appear that I was standing in the rainbow and let me tell you, I found the pot of gold! More valuable than any tangible amount of money or possessions was that sense of hope, of exhilaration, of Joy and of the presence of our creator and a realisation that we exist only to give glory!!To get just a sense of this place (and other magnificent places), watch Africa Within on Friday's at 18:00 on SABC Africa Channel 53.
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