I was watching Africam.com early this morning and three wildebeests appeared and decided to lie down close to the watering hole. They are interesting animals so I read up on them. Let me share a bit of info from others. The name, if separated to two syllables,is simply "wild-beast". They are also called gnu, coming from the Khoikhoi language. Pronouncing the "g" with a gutteral sound it makes somewhat the grunting sound gnus make. They appear as a cross between a cow and a horse but are of the antelope family. They can gain speeds up to fifty miles an hour. The male and female both have horns. The babies can stand almost moments after they are born and travel with the herd in just a few days. They are grass eaters and are a food source for lions and hyenas. The wildebeest migration is the largest mammal migration in the world. They trample the grasses as they fertilize them causing them to grow!
In their annual migration in Kenya last year they picked a particularly hard place to cross the Mara River. The banks were steep and the waters quite swift. It is not unusual for them to pick difficult crossings for it eliminates a lot of the weaker animals. This crossing turned into an ugly one. Last October 10,000 of them drowned with 2,000 dying in a single day because they could not climb up the steep bank and the could not fight the current. Deaths were about 1% of their total numbers.
As I watched the three wildebeests this morning it was easy to see flies were bothering them. It was also obvious they had some "built-in" help in dealing with flies. Their long ears were in constant motion, stirring up the flies about their head and eyes. Their black bushy tail constantly flopped and swatted, stirring flies on the other end. Then I detected a third help; ever so often they could send a "tremor" through their skin from head to toe. A three-way fight against the pesty flies! God does help with life's problems! When the flies of temptation circle about us He is also there to help. Listen to Paul's words: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (I Corinthians 10:13) Look for the defenses God has given to swat at those troublesome flies buzzing your life. You can stand up to them. Now that is good gnus!
