The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

If life were easy, where would all the adventures be?

Stop the music!  Please!  Someone in a compound just down the road has been playing music -- loud music -- for 36 hours straight now, and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight.  I try to be understanding, knowing that funerals in Kenya are normally accompanied by loud and lengthy gatherings.  It's considered part of the mourning process.  But a woman has her limits, and sleep deprivation is beginning to take its toll.  

And that's not the half of it.  This is the hot season in western Kenya, and ants -- big ants -- are the order of the day.  No matter what I do, I just can't seem to get those little creatures out of my kitchen.  In fact, we're locked in a fierce battle for control of that part of the house.

Fortunately, I have some allies.  Geckos.  That's right.  Geckos.  They're not the cleanest house guests, of course, but they love insects, and that entitles them to somewhat different treatment in our home.  In fact, one of the geckos, who Ken and I have named "Gary" (Boy, we have WAY too much time on our hands!) stops by to visit us every night at dinner.  In fact, if he's the slightest bit late, I begin to worry, because I know it will mean that my battle with the ants will be that much harder later on!

Our Friend, Gary

We got some news this week.  The government has decided that it is going to require all drivers to retake the driver's test by the end of the year.  Now I have to admit that it would be nice if everyone on the road in Kenya actually had a legitimate license, and it would be even better if most of them followed the rules of the road.  But such is not the case, and so I'm rather skeptical about the whole project.  I'd rather just trust in Ken's defensive driving skills and keep my eyes open for things that, well, you'd probably never see back home.

Yes, that's two men and a live pig on their way to town.

I guess that, like most people, I have an opinion on just about everything.  I form judgments about this situation or that person, and there will always be some part of my life that I don't like or agree with. But in my devotions this morning, I read once again what Paul wrote in Romans 8:28: 

 In ALL things God works for the good of those who love him, 

who have been called according to his purpose.

The blaring music, the aggressive ants, the hungry geckos, the unsafe roads.  Whatever I might think about them, all these things have a place in my life.  I can try to ignore them or choose to complain about them.  I can just throw up my hands and bemoan my fate.  Or, I can learn to accept it all as part of an adventure.  A spiritual adventure.  One that the Lord has planned just for me.

OK, Lord.  I'm all yours, and if it's for my good, I'm ready for more.  What's next?