"The Unclouded Day"

Imagine a place where the sun always shines bright. There is no grass and about one tree per acre. Imagine a place where everything is covered in dust, thick blankets of dust, and the few trees which produce fruit are only able to produce food for a few people at a time. Those of you who have been out west would say this sounds like Arizona or Nevada. But unlike those southwestern states, the residents cannot afford insulated houses or air-conditioning. A middle class family may own one bicycle. An upper middle class family might have a dirt bike. And only the very rich can manage to operate an automobile made in the early 1990’s. Consequently, women walk one to two miles each day with five gallon buckets on their heads to bring home barely enough water to sustain their husband and children. The water is not filtered and, because of it was taken from a small stagnant pond, is likely filled with parasites. This describes the simple realities of life in northern Ghana.
As most of you know, I recently traveled to this desolate part of the world with two other people from the Central Church of Christ: Tommy Abernathy and Joan Watkins. As we were being driven to southern Ghana from a town in the north called Bolgatanga, I was listening to old southern gospel hymns on my ipod. Spending half of my youth at a small country church in Oakman, Alabama, I truly appreciate the words of these “classic” songs. Eventually, a song came on that caused me to pause and think about my surroundings. It was written in 1880 by a man named Josiah K. Alwood and was sung by Willie Nelson at Farm Aid in 1987. The Unclouded Day begins, “O they tell me of a home far beyond the skies, O they tell me of a home far away; O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise, O they tell me of an unclouded day.” This song is a favorite of mine because they played it over the public address system in Bryant-Denny Stadium after 80,000 people and I sat through a thunderstorm awaiting kickoff of an Alabama-Arkansas game. That day, like many in Alabama, we were all hoping for the storm to go away, leaving us unharmed and allowing us to continue with the events planned for that day. In Ghana, however, storm clouds are a glorious sight. It means that life-giving rain is about to pour down from heaven and give sustenance to plants, animals, and people alike. Simply put, it means that life can go on for a little while longer.
I imagine it is uncommon to hear The Unclouded Day being sung in church buildings in northern Ghana. The meaning of the song does not hold up as it is carried over into that culture. I experienced other such differences between Ghanaians and Americans (believe me, they were many). However, one thing remained constant: Christians there love God and each other just like Christians here. The more I travel around the world the more amazed I become at the gospel’s ability to hold its meaning regardless of the culture, country, or continent. People in every corner of the globe respond the same way when they hear the Good News that Jesus Christ has died to save them from their sins. They let that thankfulness motivate them to live as they know they should and, like Paul, to “learn to be content” regardless of the circumstances in which they find themselves (Philippians 4:11). Let us work every day to be a little more like Christ. Let us learn from our brothers and sisters overseas and refuse to let minor differences cause us to overlook our major commonality. Let us remember that we are Christians and allow that fact to influence every aspect of our life.