WHY ARE WE MEAN WITH OUR LOVE, SERVICE AND RESPECT?

I have observed with so much keen that most of us nowadays have commercialized all what we do, even helping people in good faith.  What happened to the respect that we used to give to our elders, to one another and those in authority?  I am not very sure if the removal of the cane from school resulted to this, but I will not talk in those lines lest I be stoned to death as that is a law that was passed in schools that teachers should not cane children.  But I wonder how come in our days no one died because they were canned?  Anyway, I still do not want to discuss about canning but I am really offended by what I see around us nowadays. 

There is no respect for the elderly, one another, for those in authority, to make the matter even worse, no respect of God.  What happened to us people?  This query has lingered my mind for a while now and it is nagging my heart as every day you can’t fail to find one who in not respecting, loving and serving others without expecting anything in return.  For example, have you seen what the youngsters are doing to the elders, like, imagine boarding a public means and a young fellow sees this old man or woman and he competes with them to get a space in the vehicle during peak hours.  The young person pushes his/her way inside the vehicle and gets a sit before the old man or woman and he/she is very comfortable and happy that he left the old man/woman falling behind him and thus gets a sit with his earphones on and bumping his head like he is in another world dancing to his lyrics which you cannot even understand what it talks about.   That is lack of manners!  You see a young person urging with an elderly person as if they are age mates trying to make him look stupid calling them people of yesteryear's who are not aware of what is happening technologically. ‘Ati si ma dot com’. ‘people who are not computer literate’.    Let me tell you young people, you need to talk to the elderly and seek for their council and guidance as we are losing all the virtues and morals we were taught by our forefathers and we are wired for calamity if we do not change our ways.    The world of today is losing focus just because technology has come and it is eroding all the virtues and morals we once knew about and we want to embrace the new aspects that are coming around with the technology especially the negative aspects.   As I am celebrating the world of technology, I would want to tell us that we should not lose our morals and virtues just because we want to be seen to be technologically wise, connected or informed because even too much information is poisonous.  I have come to love technology so much because if it was not because of it, today I would not be able to pass the message I always pass to all my Funs through this channel.  But I want to say as much as we have so much evil in the World Wide Net compared to the good, I want to emphasize and tell the whole world that,  the world net is not only meant for evil but for good. It will depend on your choice.  If you chose to go the evil way, that is your choice and if you chose to go the godly way, that is your choice too and you are not bound by anyone to make any of the two.  It is you, and you alone who will decide and chose which way to go.  The Bible tells me the wide way leads to the way of death but the narrow way leads to the way of life.  But majority select the wide way as it seems to have all what they want and has no difficulties as  compared to the narrow one as you can get away with so much and have all what you want.  Unfortunately it leads to hell.  By the time you realize it is too late and nothing can be done to you but just sympathize with you or ask God to give you another chance and rescue you according to His Will.  The narrow way leads to life unfortunately, this is the way many do not like to follow as it has a lot of pains, sorrows, things are not well defined and we need to search for the definitions ourselves; it has so many thorns, valleys, rivers to cross through and many difficult things just to mention, but a few.    But very few chose it as they do not want to go through any pain or miseries not knowing it is through them that we are made to be who God created us to be as we are taught about patience, love, care, compassion, forgiveness, tenderness, mercy, good leadership, fear of God and many other good and positive aspects that God wants us to live in as we serve him and have life in abundance.    But when you look around, how many want to choose that narrow route?  Very few!  The choice is yours.  I want to encourage most of us who visit the World Wide Web to be keen on what we watch.  What you plant in your mind makes you become that and thus that is why you see crime has increased because of what we are feeding in our minds.  That is why today, you see people have taken advantage of others just because some media stations (radio and television) and other Medias on the Web, are promoting.   That is why you see our children engaging in drugs, pornography and things that are not good just because they want to promote a certain set of people or celebs that influence them that way.  Majority of the Media Channels love the negative information as that is what sells so much and thus continue impacting with negative information that make things look like we are in hell on earth and thus create a picture that nothing good can come in this world.  I know as a child of God this is not my home, but as much as it is not my home, i need to live in peace and harmony so that i enjoy the abundance of life that God has given me and not the unkind and miserable world we see around us.  Why can’t we stop embracing the bad and bring in the good news so that our minds can be changed and be restored? Let those who belong to the evil world belong, because this is their home.  But for you child of God, what are you doing to influence the world you are living in positively as i am really concerned about you as a servant of God? 

Today because of the way life has become so difficult, many people have tried to look for ways of survival which are not very good ways of making money.  I am not trying to pin down our street children, but look at what they are doing to us when you go to a parking lot in town when parking or leaving it.   Just helping you do that without scratching other people’s car you have to pay them.  I am not saying what they are doing is wrong, but they have made it look like it is a booming business and thus have taught every other person to do that in the name they worked for you, just helping you out.    I can’t value 20/= to losing my car side mirror or my car tire which is more expensive, but you see from that scenario nowadays, everywhere you go not only the street people are doing it, it has become a way of life with many people taking it that, to help someone park a car anywhere you are supposed to park in or out, you have to pay for it.    Giving one directions when they loose track and they look lost and confused,  when they come seeking for help to be shown the right way or the direction you have to pay, when you ask for a cup of water today, you have to pay for it.  No wonder the phrase ‘hakuna cha bure’ as in ‘nothing is for free.’  I will ask, really?  When one supports that phrase and you are a Christian then you make me shudder as we are supposed to help one another.  I do not mean you go to your bank account and draw out everything in the name of helping.  I mean, showing one direction, giving a cup of water, feeding the hungry and the needy through sharing what we have, clothing those who have no clothes, supporting the orphans, single parents, elderly, less fortunate in all manner of life is not something to be paid for, as that is a service that you should give for free if God has enabled you to serve in whatever way.  Jesus taught us so much and told us to wash other people’s feet.  What he meant here is not literally washing others feet but surrendering to him and becoming a servant as he is to us and not a master over others.  What does this mean once more?   It means when you have food, share with those who do not have, if you have clothes, cloth the naked, if you have money sponsor and help those who are in need, if you have mercy, have mercy on others, if you have compassion have compassion on others, if you have comfort, comfort others and many other gifts he has given us and taught us to serve one another as in the case of the illustration of washing his disciples feet.  Meaning we should always be servants and not masters.  When I say this, I do not mean you go not respecting people and belittling others who are senior than you and are serving you.    What I mean here is that you should respect everyone one as when you do that you will encourage others to respect others.  Today when you look around even small children are abusing elders and have no respect for them and not only elders but any other person.    When you read in the Newspapers, and in  Social Medias we see how people are not respecting those in authority and calling them names just because they have the right of speech.  We have taught our children to be manner less to a point as you sit down to listen to our children conversations with their peers, you will think they are adults as they engage in adult talk about sex, money, politics and so on and you wonder when will they play children so that they grow to be adults and start talking adult stuff when they grow up?  Where are we ended to if we will not change our ways?  If we want this world to change, let us change first and the rest will follow us.  Can we teach our children the good virtues and morals and practice them so that when they go out there they will teach others of the same?  I remember one time when I was young I was taught this mantra that I have always kept in my mind to date that says, ‘bye bye leads others follow.’  It means that, what you leave, others will follow you.  As in if you leave the evil things and follow the positive things, then, those around you will follow exactly that.  If you leave the good and chose the evil, then everyone will follow you with the evil.  You can imagine how much you influence the world with your choices.  Can we  purpose to make the right choices today?   My message to you and me today, is that we embrace being servants who seek for the good and not the evil so that we influence our world positively and we will eat the fruit of the land,  that is Peace, Love and Unity.   God in heaven who sees in his hidden place will reward you and me accordingly and thus we should be used of him to bring the positive change and not the negative daily as long as we live.    Remember you are the brain of God, his hands, legs, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, hands, fingers and the whole of your body is used of God.  That is why you are his temple.   You have nothing that belongs to you.  God bestowed authority to you and made you just a steward so that you can take care of what belongs to him including yourself. 

DO NOT GIVE UP, BUT BE ENCOURAGED!

Today I had a burden for those people who are struggling to make ends meet.  I want to encourage you as I am not an exception.  Life is unfair as I always hear people say.  To be honest sometimes life seems unfair from all quotas when you look at things literally.  But today, I want to encourage you out there, who is feeling so down and you have no hope to move on.  The other day I was just figuring out, if someone was put in my shoes if they would make it as they seem to.  And to my surprise I tried to figure out and saw many of the people you see around, if they were told to walk on their own without support from others, you would be shocked what kind of people they would be.    How did I come up with such a conclusion?  Just look around you, if that lady was not married to that well to do man and vice-verse, things would not be as they are.  Is it true?  If one was not born to that rich family and may be tables were turned the other way round and found themselves in the slums, would things be the same?  If that guy who got a job just immediately from college and you had the same grades and yet you have tarmacked since memorial, if they were put in your shoes, would life be the same really?  If ……. ……. the list goes on and on and on.    But that is beside my point; my point is not to make those people who are making it feel offended because I have said that.   If they fall in those categories, then, instead of getting offended, they should thank God that things are going on well on their side and they should not boast lest they fall.   My wish and prayer is that we all flourish and enjoy life in abundance but that is something that  I have no control of as God knows all the plans he has for us all and that is why depending on him at all times is what matters the most and not what we have or do not have. 

My top most agenda today as I write this is, to encourage someone who is on the verge of giving up.  As in, things have not been going on well with you, or you have been doing well and all of a sudden things have turned upside down, or you have tried many times and nothing is coming up.  You have done all what is needed to be done for you to go to your next level and it’s like a big block has been put ahead of you.  Today, I want to encourage you that do not to give up.  I know it is easily said than it happens but I want to tell you today, do not depend on your own understanding or on your shortcomings.   Ask God to help you in all what you do.  You might have tried so many times and things have not worked for you.  I can’t imagine what you are feeling inside yourself, that, nothing good can ever come out of you just because you have failed many times.  My word for you today, be encouraged and know that God is on your side and he will come for you not too late even if you have toiled for how long.  The most important thing here is not to give up. I know what fails us most of the time is losing hope and giving up.   I have a short illustrating about being hopeful even if things are not looking good or interesting.

Yesterday I left the office early enough to go and receive my son from school so that I can take him to my friend’s house as I do not have a house help.  My friend moved from her previous house two days ago and my baby did not know where they had moved to, though it was within the same estate.  In the past, he used to go to that home whether I was there or not.  But because they had moved, I had to show him the new house.   As my responsibility, I always make sure I have received him from school and take him to my friend’s house personally to ascertain for sure that my baby came from school and I took him to my friend’s house before I hit the road to school.     Yesterday, things did not go as usual as my baby was left by their school bus, meaning that he was to wait for the second trip.  I do not like him being dropped in the second trip as he usually reaches home so late.  Unlikely, he missed the first trip and thus he was to wait for the second trip.  For me, I was really inconvenienced because, when he comes early, I am able to give him something to eat and take him personally to my friend’s house so that I proceed to class as I am an evening student.   So, yesterday I was in a dilemma as whether to just proceed to class or wait for my child.  But something kept on telling me, ‘class is not greater or important than your baby, you should wait for him then proceed to your class’.  Somehow, I listened to the inner voice but things were not rosy for me as time was really flying as I was supposed to be in class by 5.30 p.m.   

I could not imagine what I was going through as I knew I was missing class and I was also supposed to pick my baby personally to my friends new home.   I was torn between the two and none was I ready to give up on. Gosh, I was wishing I was a fly I just fly, go pick my baby and move on with my agendas.   But if wishes were hoses, beggars would ride.  I had no option but I held on and I did not give up.  But pressure was really mounting on me as I kept on talking to myself and asking many questions that did not have answers.  The driver of the school bus was also making me more miserable as he refused to pick my calls.  I can’t really tell why he refused to pick my calls,  but I guessed he thought I was very disappointed and thought maybe I would quarrel him, as I had called him earlier and he confessed to me he did not pick my child as he was not released from class early.   Oh!  My goodness, I kept on waiting and somehow something inside me told me, ‘Rose, please just be calm and everything will be alright’.  Gosh!  That is unlike me as I am usually a very impatient person, but since God has been walking me through this thing of my impatience to patience, I listened to him as I knew what I needed was patience enough to overcome all what I was going through rather than make a fuss out of nothing as no one, to all of us starting from the teacher, my baby, the bus driver and myself was to blame.  I kept my cool and waited.  At around 7.00 p.m., as I was nearly giving up going for my class and taking my plan B which was not to go for class that day, I saw the bus coming. I was so excited, though time was not on my side.  It was also about to rain and something still told me, ‘you can as well miss the class for today only’.  Another voice would tell me, ‘Rose, do not give up.  Missing class would mean you won’t do the cat today as the teacher had said.  You would rather appear just for the sake of the cat and also know what they learnt and borrow notes if worse finds you.   Besides, you will sign up the register so that you do not be marked absent and that will be a plus for you than missing classes’.  I felt comforted somehow by the facts that I deliberated on from my heart.  For sure, missing class is and offense in the campus that I am training in and it made a lot of sense not giving up.  It also made sense that, who knows I would find them doing the cat and also do it rather than miss out?  And finally knowing what transpired in class that day would be better than missing out all the same.  So I listened to the latter voice.  I picked my baby from the bus very fast and rushed him to my friend’s house as there was no time to bond as we mummy and baby each other.  I felt for him but I had nothing to do as I pulled his hand and rushed him to my friend’s house.   My baby could not understand what was happening to him as I was really pushing and pulling him to run faster so that I do not waste more time. 

We reached the house and I just dropped him and left running.  Usually, I use the public means because of the heavy traffic so that I save on fuel and also jump out of the bus in case there is so much traffic so that I walk the remaining part of the journey.  But because I was late, I decided to use my car.  I jumped into my car so fast and drove like a mad woman.  I was just praying that nothing bad happens because when you are on a hurry that is when the devil visits and distracts you.   God is very faithful; a route that takes me a like 30 minutes to 1 hour, took me only 10 minutes.  I was in shock as in, how could that route have no vehicles and the other side of the highway, cars were not moving? To me that was a miracle and I was just celebrating in it.  I could overtake cars that were dragging on the way and I guess my fellow drivers were wondering where is this mad woman running to as I could tell with the way they were giving me way as I tried to overtake them. 

Oh!  In 15 minutes time, I was in class and I entered so slowly like an innocent child who knows she or he is wrong but does not want to be punished.  Luckily enough I got a sit that I found vacant a place I do not normally sit as I was late and my comfort sitting position was occupied.  Anyway, I tried to pick up my breath as I had walked up to second floor where my class was located and I was running out of breath as I sat down in class.  Immediately I took my sit, I asked my desk-mate what they had done and she told me, ‘you are lucky the teacher has just arrived.  He had left a handout and said we be reading and then answer a question that he will post when he comes to class, and he has just arrived a few minutes before you.’  Then I asked her, ‘have you done it yet?’ she told me ‘no the teacher has just come and he is asking us question in relation to what we have been reading.   I guess it will be a take away exam.’  I was just waiting to hear what the teacher would say and at the same time I tried to scan through the handout and I could see nothing but a black out.  Gosh!  I wondered what I would write in that exam. Not long after the teacher asked like five students what they got from the handout, I heard him say, ‘our class today is ending now at 7.30 p.m.’ Meaning I just sat in that class for less than 15 minutes and he said ‘that exam will be a take a way.’  Then he reasoned again and said, ‘I am going to do something I have never done as in I am not very sure if I give it as a take away, whether people are going to be honest enough not to Google for the answer or work as an individuals.   He said, to be fair enough; since the exam was out of two, that he would give everyone the two marks for free.  He also gave us an option to read the hand out or not.  The whole class clapped their hands as it gave everyone a sigh of relieve.   I guess because may be all of us were not ready to do that cat.  We said the grace and left for the day.

What am I saying?  It is good not to give up.  You can imagine if I missed out the class I would have really lost as to me it’s like I lost nothing because the teacher also came to class late, he also said no one would do the cat as per that day and thus I was included to those who would get the free marks, I was also updated on what transpired in class as I also got my hand out so that I would read it when I got home.  And last and not the least, I was marked present for class that day.  To me, this was a very encouraging lesson that, as much as things are not going the way I want them to, God has a better way of handling them and I do not need to panic or be impatient or curse the day, as all things work together for good.  I would also have quarreled the school bus driver for no apparent reason and cause a bad blood for nothing.  I would have not made the right decision if I meddled on the negative and thus jeopardize my son’s responsibility and expose him to uncertainties that may be, would have caused more damage to me and my baby.  Today, I want you to be encouraged and be calm and be still and know that God is in control.     

WORK ON YOURSELF TO BE ABLE TO RELATE WITH OTHERS

Today I woke up feeling so bad about people who take advantage of others.  I am saying this because most of the time, we claim to have many friends and little do we know all these friends are pretenders and are not ready to walk with us in our strongest point to even our weakest point.  It is very disappointing to see someone you really trust, can talk behind your back or does something you did not expect them do.  When we come across such encounters we get so offended to a point we also pretend to them they did not hurt us and yet inside us we are hurting or looking for ways of venting and revenging.

As days go by, I have come to realize the best thing to do is to have a  few friends and build on those friendships.  I know it cannot be a very easy thing to do in the world of today, but it is good to be vulnerable to a few people than a multitude of people who will always laugh at you and wish you the worst every time, when you think they are supporting you.   Most of the time the many people you have as friends will gang up to fight you, and you wonder how come all of them treat you the same.  The fact is that, they have ganged against you/colluded to fight you and they will never treat you well nor wish you well.    

It is still very unfortunate that the same people you share with your victories and weakness will make sure you do not enjoy your victories and will also use the weaknesses to pin you down to a point that you can’t even raise your head.  If you can have a few friends, whom you will be vulnerable to, then it will be easy to handle such friendships because there is no guarantee they will be 100% good to you, but you will try to be the person who is in sane and help them bring sanity in the world of today that is full of uncertainty.   What I mean here is that, you will be the peace maker and they will emulate your good and thus have a circle of friends who have value for each other and love each other genuinely without judging each other and taking advantage of each other.  When you do this, you will bring the difference in the friendships, where you will love unconditionally, respect even if you are not respected as respect is earned,  tolerate some things as you work on how to deal with them accordingly,  know what to say, when and how to say it, take care of your vulnerability so that you are not taken advantage of,  be ready to serve others rather than wait to be served, in case you hurt someone be the first person to say you are sorry and make up very fast instead of creating a mountain out of a molehill,  be the first to see something bad coming and you fight it before it catches up with you and your friendships and embrace many other positive aspect that brings about good and cherished friendships, that I have not mentioned in my examples.      

It is also good to realize that friends come in your life for a reason and for a season.  When that season and reason is over then you are allowed to let go when that time comes and wait for the next season and reason.  It is important to know that we are all human beings and we reason differently but still can be used positively to bring about constructive attributes rather than the negative ones to make our World good and enjoyable to live in.    It is also important to make a note on working on yourself first as it will be easy to relate with others whether they agree with you or not.  Remember not all will like you for who you really are.   To crown it all, have a personal relationship with God as he will guide and direct you in all what you do.  Today, I have decided to pray for all those who have hurt me in one way or the other.  If you are reading this and maybe I have crossed your way, please, I beg you, forgive me and let us walk in love and respect each other.  This world is very small I do not know where I will meet you, as may be, you will be the person who will help me or connect me to my destiny.  Love, Peace and Unity is a song I have chosen to sing from today henceforth.