Sunday, September 16, 2007

The Place of Wisdom

On a recent holiday, we went to Mapungubwe in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Located 70km West from the Beitbridge Border Post(Zimbabwe South Africa), it's situated at the confluence of the Limpopo River and the Sashe River, where South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe meet. It's still a very wild and unspoilt part of Africa, just the place to unwind, smell and taste nature without the taint of industry, and to reconnect! It also claims to be where "Elephants Child" - Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling (1902), got his trunk.


There are places around Mapungubwe that have a "just created" look, rough landscapes waiting for God's finishing touches. The quiet sky with grey winter clouds scudding across the sun, is only punctuated by the cries of Fish Eagles. Everywhere you look is an adventure and the African Veldt threatens to overpower your senses. There are glimpses of Eden, beckoning between the Fever Tree forests and on the Baobab covered Koppies[1], you are beset by God on all sides, to miss Him is impossible! Hmm, maybe I'm getting too poetic here, ha-ha-ha. The truth is, going over what I've written, evokes that same feeling I had when I was there, and this after all is what I want to get across.



The name Mapungubwe means "the Place of the Wisdom of the Stone". Now I totally respect other cultures beliefs and histories, so I will not try to comment that aspect of Mapungubwe, you can follow this link to find out those things from far more learned people than me :)
I did however, make my own small discovery. It's a discovery that goes on being discovered and the more I discover, the less I realise I know about it. Eish[2], now I've got you intrigued.

As I've said, to miss God in that unspoilt, uncomplicated place, is impossible. This is the Wisdom I discovered out there, we live our lives with so much clutter around us and in us, that we miss God. Yes we make an effort to be in contact with God through Church activity, Bible Study, Fellowship groups, Christian getaways, Literature and DVD's that we hope will strengthen our relationship with Him and a whole host more of "approved" Christan endeavours! But I fear that what we achieve most of the time is to change the clutter of the world for the clutter of the Church. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that much good comes from all the various Christian Pursuits of Happiness, but we have to learn that God wants us to seek Him first, and then He will add the rest!(Matt 6:33)


So I stop looking at, and dealing with, the clutter(of any nature) and let the Spirit open my eyes! I find myself at the Place of Wisdom, back at Mapungubwe, beset by God on all sides. And in the same way that Elephants Child got his trunk lengthened "on the banks of the Great grey-green greasy Limpopo River, all set about with Fever Trees", so too am I having my faith lengthened "at the feet of our Great Redeemer God, all set about with Angels". And I know now that I know so little, what's more, I rejoice in this because I see the beginning of Wisdom. Benjamin Franklin said "Life's Tragedy is that we get old to soon and wise too late." and so my prayer is that God willing I continue to discover His Wisdom, sooner rather than later.



At least this is what I strive to do, but often find that I have let the clutter back in (Rom 7:7-25) But that's a Post for another day!



Terminology for non-South Africans:
[1] Koppies - small hills, mesas, buttes
[2] Eish - an African expression of exasperation

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