The Universal Map

The Universal Map.

When we were leaving our giant metropolis yesterday morning, we got lost trying to find the main road out of town and onto the toll road. We ended up on a back road that fizzled into dirt. We asked an older gentleman sitting on a chair on the side of the road if he knew how to get to the toll road. He spoke in very slurred french, but then he got the bright idea of drawing a map to help us. I have included a picture of the map. We have decided to keep the original in our glove compartment to use in any situation. It is terse enough to be applicable for any situation one might find themselves in. It was an incredible help to us; we found the toll road easily. :-)


We did see some really hard things to comprehend; the poverty of some in the towns, the tired clothing on the lines, little children playing in potholes  because there was a pool of water there, and a number of men relieving themselves in public. We contrasted these things with the simple beauty of the farms laid out neatly along the highway.


One of the most interesting sites along the route today was a giant pelican's nest on top of a mosque. We stopped and quietly took several photos. The babies were fluttering about, but mom or dad was sitting proudly on the nest.

We saw so many farms, fields, donkeys, horses and fresh vegetables from the harvest. This was a neat and tidy area of Morocco. It seemed to be a farming community along the coast with hard-working farmers. Rocks were neatly piled up to make walls for fields. Long twigs and beach grass were used to make fencing. 


I was amazed at all that the donkeys were able to carry, and we marveled at all the different animals God has made for our pleasure, His pleasure and for helping us with our work.


I enjoyed contrasting the scenes of donkeys and farms with what I was reading in my devotions tonight.

This is the time of the year when  the Feast of Tabernacles has started for the Jews. This feast is a foretaste of the kingdom of God. And thus it is an exercise in freedom from worry. For a whole week they camp in huts, just like we saw along the road this weekend, made of branches, with roofs that are open to the sky. They enjoy the good life, the yield of the harvest, and laugh and drink in the company of family and friends. One can only really enjoy this, when one does not worry in advance about the cold and dark days that are approaching.


" 'Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own,’ Jesus advises, ‘today’s trouble is enough for today.’ Try to live day by day. That is what humans are made for. We cannot reach beyond that, though we often think we can. And try to live today as you would in the kingdom of God. Be open to the people around you. Dark clouds can cast substantial shadows, but these will always remain marked by the light that gives colour and space to our existence, like carefree splashes of paint." - by José Verheule


This week, I am going to work on taking one day at a time.