Rhinos and giraffes. It’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard. It makes sense that they would be in Africa, but you will never guess where.
Sudan is one of the poorest places in the world. They have been in the midst of a civil war. Part of the country is trying to commit genocide against the other. They are divided religiously with all kinds of hostility. Famines are all over the place. Child slavery has been rampant. What’s the solution? Shape their towns so they look like animals from the air.
Seriously. Sudan is making plans to reshape cities where they look like animals when you fly over them. The southern government’s own 2010 budget was only $1.9 billion, and the U.N. says more than 90 percent of Southern Sudan’s population lives on less than $1 a day. And this animal project is going to cost a whopping $10 billion dollars. Why would they be doing this?
I don’t know for sure. But here’s my thought—they want to be noticed. It is like a little kid doing all kinds of things for attention. Why? So she can be seen. Everyone wants to be seen. And by the way, where is this? Southern Sudan is the very place Joseph Konye and the Lord’s Resistance Army have been terrorizing people creating what the world has called “Invisible Children.”
All of us when we are marginalized and invisible do things to be seen. It is a part of human nature. If you want to solve the problem of Sudan—it will take more than food, money, and a cessation of war. Because even if you can create peace and produce a better economy, people want to be noticed. People want to be seen. And deeper than that—people want to be loved.
When Hagar was fleeing Abraham and Sarah thinking there was no hope or future for her and her son, one of God’s greatest names was revealed to her, El Roi. It means “the God who sees.” It is one of God’s greatest names and attributes. He sees you. You don’t have to reshape yourself. You don’t even have to change. He sees you even in your present shape. With God, there are no invisible people. It is so true He wears it as His name.
I have always loved this name of God: The God Who Sees. So very comforting that we are never forgotten or unnoticed by our LORD! I thought of this as we began our study of I Peter this morning…thinking about all the people scattered across Asia Minor that Peter addresses the book to and thinking….scattered, but not forgotten.
Praise our great God that we are not invisible to Him!
It makes me remember that, as a follower of Christ, I am called to SEE, love and care for the marginalized, empty and invisible in the world.
Great blog post. It is crazy what we focus on when we don’t focus on Christ.
Thanks Milt,
Man do I miss your services’ this blog is great and I look forward to more. I have not witnessed first hand what you have. But in my heart I can relate. I don’t want the messenger to detract from the message but I love that bumper sticker with Jimmy Hendricks on it and it says. ” Until the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power we will never know Peace in this world” All of our misdeeds to each other as childeren of god come back to the same source. Lack of love for eachother.