On Heritage Day – a reflection from abroad

On Spring Day I published SPRING CAME EARLY, BUT STAYED FOREVER where I reflected on the similarities between the early arrival of Spring 2025 in Bloemfontein and the early arrival of my beloved daughter, Annie, into this world back in 1995. However yesterday, I encountered a place where, from mere visual OBSERVATION, it seems that Spring is still a long way off.

We are currently on a business trip in the beautiful country of Botswana and yesterday we travelled from Gaborone to Francistown. In stark contrast to the trees back home which started blooming in early August, the trees on the way to Francistown, are still completely bare with some even still shedding dried-out, dead leaves from last Summer. From the windows of our car, it looked like we had either travelled back in time to winter*, somewhere in July or forward in time, across the equator, to Autumn in November. But the thermometer reading of 40 degrees Celsius on the car’s dashboard display instantly dissolved ALL doubt about the season outside. In Bloemfontein-terms, it is Summer over here in Francistown!

Bloemfontein is located approximately 630km south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Francistown is located approximately 252km north of the Tropic of Capricorn, but still about 2,350km south of the equator. Thus, both cities are definitively located in the Southern Hemisphere, and therefore, in the season of Spring. Why is it, then, that in Bloemfontein it looks and feels like Spring, but in Francistown it looks like Autumn/winter* and feels like Summer?

What happens when OBSERVATION does not meet EXPECTATION or vice versa? I found myself mildly confused about the distinct discrepancies between the appearance and experience of the season over here in Francistown, but also profoundly curious about a satisfactory explanation for the perceived phenomenon. But even before I could start any research on it, I was reminded of the incident of where Jesus cursed the fig tree. In the past, I have read many insightful commentaries by revered theologians about this particular event where Jesus’ OBSERVATION did not meet His EXPECTATION and I agree with most of them. However, I cannot dismiss the sinking feeling that even these profound insights still only rate somewhere between SQUAT and DIDDLY SQUAT on our Lord’s insight radar. I am convinced that, unlike me, Jesus was neither confused nor curious. I will dare to say that I think that He was confoundingly exasperated.

I feel like I am confoundingly exasperated about the world around me. Either that or I am just a few fries short of HAPPY MEAL CRAZY. There exist select groups of believers who have declared that from their OBSERVATION of the spiritual season of the time we live in, they are justified to have the EXPECTATION that Jesus will return before sunset today. There exist other select groups of believers who have OBSERVED the truly shocking and senseless murder of a specific believer and who have the EXPECTATION that justice will be served and the evil perpetrators be prosecuted, convicted and appropriately sentenced. I am confounded, not by the declarations of their own OBSERVATIONS and EXPECTATIONS by certain believers, but rather by the audacity with which they so publicly EXPECT the rest of us to trust the authenticity of their OBSERVATIONS. I am exasperated at the hostility with which some Bible-babbling EXPECTANT OBSERVERS have transformed Jesus’ cross into a demented make-shift shank which they aim at the jugular veins of those they are called to love and lead to eternal life. I have made OBSERVATIONS neither of the young man’s murder nor of his ministry before his death, but I share in the EXPECTATION of true justice. I have, however, made personal OBSERVATIONS of powerful works in my heart, soul and life by another Man Who redeemed me when He was around the same age as the murder victim. I have an EXPECTATION that He will come back, but I have not made any irrefutable OBSERVATIONS about the timing thereof.

Allow me to inform you that I do make OBSERVATIONS and I nurture EXPECTATIONS, but that the accuracy/authenticity thereof, is directly proportional to the alignment of my heart and soul with Jesus. Allow me also to show you that, while my desire to love and serve Jesus continues to grow, my alignment often needs readjustment.

If you OBSERVE my interaction with my beloved Assie, you might EXPECT me to be an Afrikaner woman, and you will be (partially) correct.

If you OBSERVE my interaction with my children and grandchildren, you might EXPECT me to be English speaking, and you will be (partially) correct.

If you regularly OBSERVE my work, you might EXPECT me to be an English-speaking Afrikaner woman who loves and follows Jesus, and you will be ABSOLUTELY correct.

But (here is a doozy….and a painfully vulnerable one for me, at it)

If, on Monday, you had OBSERVED my interaction with the intentionally obstinate border official, you might have EXPECTED me to be English speaking and a woman, but the wry smile with which I fired off a stinging insult while also snapping back my documentation from her to go to another official, would not have given you evidence of my love for and devotion to Jesus. While it is true that she was defiantly hostile when she declared that she could not read my pre-prepared computer-generated typed customs document, despite it being our kind gesture of ensuring clarity for easy manual processing since 2021, it cannot justify my aggression, sarcasm and insult. Sure, she trampled on the kindness and goodness I offered her, but for goodness’ sake, I did not have to, personally, yank peace, patience and self-control (perhaps even all the remaining fruits of Spirit) off and crush them myself!

Back home, my fellow South Africans are celebrating Heritage Day today, and I’ll admit that the mere thought of lamb chops and Free State veggie (chicken) kebabs on a grill on the braaivleisvuur sounds drool-inducingly delightful. But, tonight we have been invited to dinner with a warm, hospitable Batswana (no, it’s not a typo, it’s the plural form of a noun referring to the people of Botswana) family and I am ditching the braaivleis without batting an eye. Today I celebrate my heritage of being redeemed by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Tonight, I will attend the dinner of my gracious hosts as an English speaking woman, because sadly I don’t speak Setswana and Afrikaans has about the same value as Swahili or Spanish (neither of which I can speak anyway). I would like to be OBSERVANT of any and all opportunities to reflect Jesus in everything I say and do. My EXPECTATION will be to keep a check on my alignment with Him, because I desire for His will to be done, not my own.

And while sunset is fast approaching, I will end in prayer.

My Father, my Lord, thank you that it IS indeed Spring in Francistown and Bloemfontein. Thank You that Jesus redeemed me, restored my connection with You and that He will come back. Thank You for Your forgiveness of all of my misalignments. Please help me to faithfully bear the season-independent fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) until Jesus returns. Please help me to love and see people like You do. Thank You that You love me like no other and thank You that You OBSERVE me like no other. You are El Roi, my God Who sees me, my hope and EXPECTATION is in You! Your will be done and not my own. Amen.

*Please note that I, personally, do not consider winter worthy of capitalisation, and therefore, my lowercase version of the word is not an error, but a choice.