All the Questions Asked
I, the Preacher was King over Israel in Jerusalem. And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this grievous task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.
(Eccl. 1 vs. 12 & 13) NKJV
The other day I sat pensive in the couch, helplessly engrossed in a programme airing on one of the world renowned Christian television networks. It was about this young lady, a computer science student in one of the universities in Nigeria, who happens to be a midget. She tearfully recounts how all through her life, because of her size and her demeanor, the rest of society pick up on her and oftentimes neglect her. Many verbally abuse her and openly declare their disgust for her kind – even a few more are scared to death just at the thought of being anywhere near the region of her presence.
The stigmatization continues to the university. Here, however, things look up as she meets this kindhearted fellow student who befriends her and virtually commits her life to being her caregiver. This friend performs chores including washing her clothes, preparing her meals and carrying her to and from campus on her back – yeah, like a mother would her baby!
Caught in the narrative I was so moved that my eyes begun to fill with tears. I was particularly touched on two grounds: the courage of the midget (boldened for emphasis rather than to spite the character concerned) who manages to push herself up the academic ladder to pursue tertiary education in the face of the apathy of the rest of society; and also the amazing demonstration of grace and selflessness of her care-giving friend – such enchanting display of love seldom seen!
The above episode really got me thinking. Simple yet serious questions flew to me while I pondered the experience afterwards. Is this midget any less human than the rest of us? Does her size and perhaps her defects make her any less qualified to be alive? Does she really have a spirit and soul just like every other human in spite the limitations her body presents? What wrong did she do appearing this side of the earth in the package she finds herself in? Does she have the potential to attain to an accomplished life like everybody else? Can she make it all the way up?
So what about Equal Opportunities? Is there really Hope for all of us? Is Life fair? What at all is the meaning of this Life? What are we here for? Does it really matter what package we come in? I’m sure you’d love to have answers to these and other like-questions that hit at us every now and again; and so does even Solomon the wisest mortal to have ever lived besides Jesus the Christ! He says so himself in our opening scripture. Well, who best can tell how he fashioned the product than the manufacturer himself. If he made it, you bet he knows what he designed it for and no better person to tell of its capabilities.
I would not be wrong then, should I turn to the Book of Life, the Bible to learn of the manufacturer the why, how, and what He moulded into the fabric of humankind. Would you then join me, in the coming weeks, as we together explore the scriptures to unearth timeless keys that can aid our understanding of the current predicament of mankind? Let’s meet again!
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