We Can’t Even Imagine It
These tribesmen who continue to live in traditional ways helped me understand something counterintuitive: how difficult it must be for someone to reject a life-long worldview for something new.
One more story “out of Africa” that conjures the power of the Gospel.
On our journey, we learned how some Tanzanians choose to live according to the traditional ways of the Maasai people. Our safari guide and his family are Christian today, he shared, but his forebears, as recently as his grandfather, lived the traditional Maasai way of life.
Our tour included a visit to a small Maasai village, where we learned about their way of life.
It is not easy or comfortable.
They live almost entirely off the land—growing, raising, or bartering for what they need. Their cattle provide food and wealth. Their sandals, fashioned from old tires, regularly carry them on foot five, ten, even twenty miles or more.
They continue to dress in traditional robes and move their flocks with shepherd’s staffs alongside the busy highway. Large families share small earthen huts. Parents sleep only a few feet from their children. There is no indoor plumbing, electricity, or heat. Meals are cooked over open fires year-round while they endure cold nights and blazing daytime heat.
They migrate across vast stretches of protected parkland as the seasons change, searching for water and grasslands to keep their families and herds alive. They often rely on traditional remedies and customs, such as drinking cow’s blood to supplement their diet. Their family structures also reflect long-standing traditions. One of the chiefs, who was our guide, had five wives and 22 children, as I recall.
He was probably in his 40s, muscular and handsome, and articulate- he spoke polished English and carried himself with confidence. It was obvious he had other opportunities. Living this demanding existence is a choice for him and the other members of the tribe.
I wondered why they continue to embrace the traditional Maasai way of life when there are easier paths.
Toward the end of our visit, after tribal dancing and singing, and some fairly aggressive pitching to buy their souvenirs, I asked the chief why they choose to live the way they do- without modern conveniences, in such a harsh environment - laboring for everything.
He stopped mid-stride, turned and looked in my eyes as though he couldn’t comprehend the question. He had no words. I waited a few beats and asked several more times in several different ways. Still nothing.
Finally, I offered, “You can’t even imagine it, can you?”
He slowly nodded.
In that moment, I realized he wasn’t avoiding my question. He literally could not imagine another way to live. That brought home how profound conversion can be—from traditional beliefs and practices to something new.
New beliefs, new moral teachings, new community loyalties. A different understanding of God- giving up traditions practiced for generations.
The chief could not even imagine leaving his belief system. Yet somewhere along the line, many in his tribe were transformed by the Word.
These tribesmen who continue to live in traditional ways helped me understand something counterintuitive: how difficult it must be for someone to reject a lifelong worldview for something new.
From a handful of early believers in Jerusalem to remote villages in Africa and in every corner of the world, over two thousand years, the Gospel has crossed cultures, languages and generations. Billions have heard the Word and believed.
Jesus told his disciples in Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
And so it has been ever since. The song pairing is “Rock of Ages”:
Until next time, stay safe, be brave and keep walking in the light.
Rock of Ages
God of life, God of hope
in a bullet train, on a slow boat
God of sorrows, God of tears
lay your hands on me, calm my fears
Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock of ages…
When Jesus walked, from now ‘till then
San Diego to Jerusalem
Westminster Abbey to the Vatican walls
up the road and down the hall
Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock of ages…
Rock, rock, rock of ages
In the morning I, open up my eyes
I see the trees, I see the skies
It’s your world Lord, you made it all
we sing your praises, in one accord
Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock of ages…
Jesus says to turn our cheek
Jesus says the strong are meek
there’s one thing we can be sure of
they will know us by our love
Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock of ages…
Rock, rock, rock of ages
He is a father to the fatherless
orphans and widows He will bless
He is up there riding the clouds
open your eyes brother, He’s around
Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock of ages…