Bob Cassell, Messenger
The African soil was dry and parched in the Savannah’s …. The drought had now extended far beyond all projections, and it had not rained for many months. The surface of the soil appeared as broken pieces of pottery. The sun had evaporated almost all of the precious moisture from the soil. To look at the sprawling land was to observe barrenness and dry death. Most of the small trees had died along with the grass and vines. The larger trees with dead foliage were standing alone as if waiting to die next. The scarce plant life had inhaled all of the precious moisture that lay deep beneath the parched soil and no longer existed. The edges of the water holes were moist and muddy, but the tiny pools of water were becoming smaller and smaller with each life sapping day.
The animals no longer fought over territory around the scarce and final water supply; the focus was now on the diminishing pools of water. Every animal was in survival mode, and it was everyone for himself.
Mothers were becoming separated from their young because of the thick dust storms. Uncanny survival instincts were beginning to kick in by all of the animals. The teamwork that is so essential to the survival of animal clans had vanished.
It is in this miserable setting that I want to take you through the miraculous journey of Little Minnie a beautiful two-month-old baby elephant. Minnie stood a little more that three feet tall and weighed less than three hundred fifty pounds. Her large ears and small trunk were her most outstanding features.
Her feet softly embraced the dry ground as she swayed from side to side switching her short tail to keep the flies away. Her eyes were large and beautiful and seemed to be filled with wonder and adventure. Her long eyelashes accented those wonder-filled eyes and Minnie looked like a beautiful toy as she walked close to her mother’s side.
Minnie was the most beautiful animal that walked this barren and dusty land. She was becoming expert at sniffing out various scents and associating them with her family territory. Her little trunk would busily inspect anything from dead limbs to live insects. On one occasion she was stung by a large ant as her small trunk curiously investigated a busy ant hill. She was quickly learning what to do and what not to do in this dry and thirsty land.
At two months of age, elephants like Minnie are totally dependent on Mother. They are unable to eat grass or even drink water. They are infants and know only to nurse from Mother.
When high winds stirred dust clouds hundreds of feet into the hot air, the herd became restless and began to shift around in an uneasy and reckless manner. As Minnie’s mother began to move with the herd, Minnie was careful to stay close to her large underbelly. As the winds grew stronger and stronger, mother became increasingly cautious and began to worry about Minnie. The dust was becoming so thick that Minnie could no longer see the other elephants. Mother’s touch meant more to her than sight itself. As the winds swirled and the dust thickened, the elephants began to separate, and some of them turned around and around in total confusion.
It was in this storm of confusion that little Minnie became separated from Mother and the panic-stricken herd. Minnie cried, at the top of her lungs as the strong winds continued to blow, and the dust gathered like a giant mountain. She ran to the right and then to the left, occasionally bumping into a tree and at first thinking that the solid object was Mother’s massive body. Around and around Minnie ran until she was completely exhausted.
Finally, as the dust began to settle, Minnie could only raise her voice in desperation as, for the first time in her short life, she was abandoned and completely alone. Mother had always been imminently close and protective of Minnie. How could this be? “Surely Mother will hear my cry and find me in just a few minutes.” Hour upon hour passed, but the parched land remained still and silent. Minnie trudged on hoping to see some sign of life and that mother would appear at any minute and rescue her from this terrible nightmare. A deep and desperate fear struck like a sharp knife into Minnie’s precious little heart! Her breathing quickened, and she ran across the hot land as fast as her little legs would carry her. Again and again, she cried out for help, but there was only silence. Her throat was deeply parched and she was becoming desperate for mother’s milk. Her breathing was now out of control; her hot breath rushed back and forth over her dry tongue. Her large eyes looked in every direction, but barrenness, silence, and emptiness were all that could be found. Her long eyelashes were beautiful as they flickered over her large and gorgeous eyes.
Minnie was possessed with an uncanny instinct to survive, and her inner spirit said “go on little Minnie go on!” On and on she went into the bare trees and then back to the parched land. This happened over and over again, but Minnie found no familiar scents. Minnie was looking for any sign or scent left by Mother or any member of the familiar herd. Nothing! Absolutely nothing smelled familiar.
It was just as sure as the life taking drought.… Minnie was totally lost and desperately close to losing her short life. Help must arrive soon, or there will be no hope of survival. Not a sound could be heard in this land of dryness and death. Minnie’s desire to survive was amazing, and it pushed her forward in a desperate attempt to survive.
Minnie labored against all odds and could hardly lift the little trunk she had been incessantly using to sniff out some sign of Mother or any family member. All of a sudden, as Minnie sniffed an old piece of log, a familiar scent came dancing across her trunk. “Yes! Oh Yes! This is where we were as a family.” She smelled again and again just to make sure. “Yes, this is where we were and there is no doubt.”
Minnie sniffed everything in the area and her little heart pounded with joy because, for the first time, she could hope for a better end. In desperation, she approached a large tree and raised her trunk hoping the tree would somehow be Mommy. Minnie was so delirious that she attempted to nurse a large tree limb. This flicker of hope was not to last as Minnie realized the large limb offered no life sustaining fluid.
As Minnie dropped her desperate little trunk and began to sniff the ground for something that smelled of Mother, the ground began to reverberate. Minnie looked up and saw clouds of dust swirling around and around. All of a sudden, eight bull elephants appeared on the scene and dominated the entire area with their huge presence.
Minnie’s heart pounded with joy as the giant elephants began to sniff her as if they knew she was lost and separated from her family. Joy was turned into terror as the bull elephants began to push her away with their tree like trunks. Minnie ran after them as they headed for the small water hole a few hundred yards away.
The bull elephants walked through the mud to the remaining pools of precious water. Minnie struggled through the mud and to the water but did not know how to drink the lifesaving liquid. With her baby instincts, she tried to do the only thing she knew to do, and that was to nurse one of the female bull elephants. Minnie’s survival instincts were working well, but the bull elephants were thinking more about surviving than helping a lost and frail baby elephant.
In their impatience, they pushed her into the mud with their giant trunks and began to roll her over and over. Finally, they left without so much as looking at lost and helpless little Minnie. Desperate to keep company with the huge elephants, Minnie struggled out of the mud and on to the parched soil. As she attempted to approach the elephants, they turned around and pushed her away with their massive trunks. Minnie realized she could be killed by the giant elephants and ran into a nearby section of medium-sized trees.
Minnie stood silently in the thicket of the trees shivering and shaking in fear of dying or being killed by the big elephants. Minnie was beginning to realize that she might never find Mother and that she might not have long to live. One of the mother elephants from the herd turned and noticed Minnie under the trees and took several halting steps in her direction. She seemed to understand Minnie’s desperate plight. She stood there for about ten minutes without moving, and Minnie started to walk in her direction. The mother elephant took a few slow steps in Minnie’s direction and trumpeted something in elephant language that must have meant come closer, because Minnie took slow halting steps and wobbled near the huge female. The large female slowly nestled Minnie under her large but steady underbelly and in seconds sweet nourishing and life-sustaining milk began to flow into Minnie’s dry mouth.
The Mother elephant seemed pleased to nourish Minnie as her baby had been killed by a pack of savage hyenas two days earlier. The two became close and loving companions as each needed the other.
Minnie was well cared for by her new Mom and grew into a strong and beautiful female. This surrogate Mom grew close to Minnie and carefully protected her until she was mature and self-sustaining. All of the elephant clan learned to love Minnie deeply and admired her beauty and engaging personality.
Later on, a young teenage boy elephant was swept off his feet by beautiful Minnie. They eventually fell in love, became husband and wife and raised three children. They had a good life and saw their children live a safe, and happy life.
Minnie sadly learned the reason her mother could not find her at such a critical and desperate time during the sand storm. Sadly, she had been killed by poachers who extracted her large and beautiful tusks. The good news is they were arrested, and imprisoned for many years.
This Minnie story reminds me of the difficulties that occur in the animal kingdom that often turn out well and can become learning lessons for the human kingdom. Many bad things happened to Little Minnie, but eventually they turned out well. Similarly, many bad and often cruel things happen to good people in humanity. However, God silently works behind the scenes and makes sure that all things work together for good. All things may not always be good, but if you are focused on Him, he will not allow anything to happen to you unless it first has his approval to work for your highest good and HIS ultimate glory. He is in control, you are not; you just think you are, and he is not the way out of all that happens to you… but the good news is… HE IS always THE WAY THROUGH. Don’t walk through this world without a sure, righteous, and trustworthy guide!
You may be assured; the God of the ages is that guide. The God of the ages is your only hope of heaven… the God of the ages is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior.
He declares in his reliable word, he will give you, light, direction, and assurance. I trust that you will see your need of HIM and will place all of your trust in him… if you call on him, he will answer you, and save your needy and eternal soul. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31).
LIGHT: The entrance of thy word gives light (Psalm 119:130).
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my pathway (Psalm 119:105).
DIRECTION: I am the way, the truth, and the life no man comes to the father, but by me (John 14:6).
In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:6).
ASSURANCE: And this is the record that God has given unto us eternal life and this life is in his son. He who has the son has life and he who has not the son of God has not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God that you may know you have eternal life and that you may believe in the name of the only begotten son of God (I John 5:11-13).
I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believes in me, though he were dead yet shall he live; and whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die (John 11:25-26).
Notice the words here, believes in me, believes in me. This is the very core of salvation and it is wrapped up in toto in the unique person of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ.
When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you have accomplished the only essential to appropriate eternal life, because it is in him. You have his life when you believe in him as your personal and only savior. If you say you believe in him and hold on to what you think you can do to appropriate salvation you have missed the boat and are found wanting because you are not trusting wholly in the only savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Neither is their salvation in any other (that includes you) for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
What about you my inquiring reader? Have you placed all of your faith in the only savior and are you trusting in him exclusively as your sure way to heaven. If not in a matter or moments you can place all of you faith in Jesus Christ and appropriate his so great salvation. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL be saved (Romans 10:13).
You may be thinking…. Its’s not that simple! Oh, yes, it is.
