Lions and Tigers and Bears, We Saw Not!

We were heading back and we were bummed we hadn’t seen an elephant or a big cat. I was in my seat praying we would see one of the two— I was really hoping for a lion! (and unknown to me, another teammate was also praying that Ashley and I would see an elephant).  And bam! Not even 5 minutes later… there was an elephant on the path. We were in the safari vehicle, and stood up on the seats. Looking out through the roof, we were about the same height as this massive elephant in front of us. It was a reddish tint from the dirt, not the normal gray you envision.  It was just munching on some leaves from the branches.  We were told it was a bull because it was alone.  We kept inching closer. And those tusks were long, at least a meter.  It kept walking down the path away from us and we kept inching closer.  A car came behind us and had to follow us slowly.  Eventually after 10-15 minutes or so it went off the path and we drove by quickly so it wouldn’t come after us.  

We kept driving and then we spotted three more ahead and a baby! We inched up to them.  We watched them for a bit too. The one adult, most likely the Mamma was playing with the baby. They also walked a bit down the road so we kept following them. The one left earlier into the brush and then another one peeled off and the baby and mom were left.  

The baby started walking towards us.  And kept getting closer.  The mom also started heading our way (mind you, there is still a car behind us too).  The baby was playing around, trumpeting, and ended up  backing into the brush.  The mom was now looking directly at us…and started walking towards us.  

The guide started giving the driver instructions.  And slowly, her voice gave instructions with more of an urgency.  He started spinning the tires, challenging the elephant.  After about a minute, she finally moved into the brush. We tore off and when we looked behind us, there was the bull running up the road.  We were literally in the middle of the herd.  

We later found out that when the baby had made a noise, it had alerted the bull of danger.  So both us and the car flew down the road.  Thank goodness our guide had spotted the bull in the mirror because the rest of us were oblivious!

This safari was more than just a safari.  I connect best with God in nature, and He was revealed so much to me!  First, that He cares so much about DETAILS!  I think He’s a bit of a perfectionist!  He makes so many different varieties and species of things, but each one is perfect in its own way.  And everything within that “category” is unlike any other.  

Just like every human is a bit different from the next (even twins have different finger prints), every animal has its own personality and characteristics too!  No two Zebras, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, etc. have the same exact print.  And isn’t it cool how he uses our characteristics to help us?  A zebra, when with a herd, use their stripes to confuse the predator.  A cheetah has black around it’s eyes to help absorb light from the sun so it can constantly be scanning the savannah.  Giraffe’s have a heart weighing around 26lbs and a powerful “pump” in order to get blood flow to their head (their necks are as tall as a human if not longer!)  so they don’t faint with their constant bending. 

There is also beauty in every flower, every mountain, every lake… everything.

He taught me so much with our elephant encounter as well.  Our group was focused on what was in front of us.  We were in awe.  We didn’t even know the danger that was lurking behind us. But God is all knowing.  He knows the end plan. He sees the big picture, not just a snapshot.  His foolishness is wiser than the wisest human.  His thoughts are not our thoughts.  I’m thankful that God works everything for His good and that I’m part of that beautiful plan… Because I was fearfully and wonderfully made and am His child.