Sometimes you just have to wonder how the world came to be so mad. For those of us who are Christ-followers, we know the theological answer: we live in a fallen world and all of the injustices and pain are a direct result of man’s rebellion against his Creator. But it’s still pretty hard to fathom the utter depth of our depravity.

For example, last week I read about a 24 year old mother (Busi Danxa) who was sent home to die a painful death due to kidney failure. Why? Well, she was evaluated as a poor candidate for a kidney transplant because she also has tuberculosis and “unfavourable social circumstances.” My suspicion is that she is HIV+, but the bottom line is that renal failure is treatable with dialysis and Tb is treatable and HIV can be well-managed. What is difficult to manage is her poverty. She lives in a shack with her young child, and her prospects of that changing are slim. The doctor in charge of making the decisions about who qualifies for dialysis and who doesn’t in the government healthcare system admits that cases like this are tragic and far too common. In fact, his department turns away 6 or 7 people in need of dialysis every week, accepting only one or two. Unless they can find someone to sponsor them for treatment in a private healthcare facility all of these people will die a rather unpleasant death in a short period of time.

For me, what compounds this tragedy is knowing that thousands of political fat cats are living large in their multi-million rand homes with their luxury cars and huge expense accounts while so many vital government structures, like healthcare and education, languish. The poor have no choice but to be subjected to the whims of their leaders, leaders who seem to only be concerned about them as election time approaches.

Just a couple of days ago I was telling some friends how thankful I am that the Lord has put me in a place with so much awe-inspiring beauty because the beauty of nature is one of the things that draws me close to God. As I drive and walk around Cape Town every day Table Mountain is always part of the scenery, and it draws me like a siren to worship the Creator. I was telling these friends that I have often wondered how my worship would be affected if I wasn’t surrounded by such majesty, if I lived in a teeming, dirty, ugly city like so many millions of people do.

The very next day God revealed beauty to me in a way far more palpable than the mountains or a glorious sunset or waves crashing on the rocks. He revealed beauty to me in the voices and faces of a jumble of precious little children from the Barcelona Children’s Centre. For those who have followed my blogs or who read our newsletters, you will know that this is a home that is run by a Baptist pastor and his wife. They have been taking in abandoned and orphaned children for a number of years, and every one of these children has been through unbelievably traumatic events. Through the patient, loving care that they receive from their adoptive parents, these children come to flourish. Their home is in a squatter camp. There is no indoor plumbing, which means bucket baths, long-drop toilets, and hand-washing laundry for a family of 20+ people. The area the home is in is dirty and many of the shacks are very run down. It is not a place that could be described as beautiful. But when we walked inside the building where the church meets and where the children gather, a group of about 12 of the smallest ones was sitting on the floor in a circle with some on the outside and some on the inside of the circle. There were no care-givers around. These little ones were contentedly sitting there singing Bible songs with the sweetest voices and expressions that I have ever seen. They didn’t even look up when our group walked in; they just kept singing. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen, and it definitely caused me to worship the Almighty Creator God, Lord of Lords and King of Kings. How like God to answer my ponderings in such a dramatic and pointed way.