 |
| In every darkness, there's light at the end |
Growing
up, we used to watch Family TV a great deal. I got to absolutely look forward
to experiencing the big crusades the world over by Benny Hinn. On Saturday
mornings though, it was always a tussle between me and small sister who
couldn’t afford to miss the Colby Kids’ Clubhouse show while I would prefer the
likes of Powerpuff Girls and Courage 60 on Nation TV, before it was rebranded
to NTV. The trick on which station to
watch was to entice small brother to be on your side. Democracy was instilled
years ago. Our mother-who had veto power, would insist we watch Family TV
though. She used to love a show that was hosted by an old but friendly looking
woman who would sing amidst nuggets of wisdom and encouragements. Her best tune
was titled ‘One Day at a Time’. For some reason, I have never gotten the tune
nor the lyrics out of my head. Later on, I learnt her name is Cristy Lane.
One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking from You
Just give me the strength to do everyday
What I have to do
Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Lord, help me today, show me the way
One day at a time…
 |
| The Pursuit of Happiness is a Journey |
It’s easy to sing a
song, recall a great quote or even memorize a Bible verse. But most times, it’s
harder to apply them in our day to day life. The storms that we face from time
to time can almost shatter us. Earlier this year, it was a bleak time for me. I
remember at church on New Year’s eve, I couldn’t even pray for the situation I
found myself in seemed hopeless. But as it’s said, a testimony is preceded by a
test and so the days wore on. In moments like those, it’s easy to despair,
rebel or wallow in pity. Thankfully, God’s ways aren’t like ours and all along,
He had a great plan for me.
Sometimes, we find
ourselves on the brink of giving up. That’s why suicide is such a rude reality.
But what if we decided to live a day at a time; trusting God to see us through
to a better day. Because eventually, we will die. And when that happens, our
titles will automatically change to ‘body’. They will say our bodies are
preserved in a particular place, our bodies will be ferried to our eventual
place of burial and our bodies will be lowered down back into the earth. Soil
to soil. Silence.
Before that happens
though, why can’t we all accept and embrace life! The world is just but a big
stage, we are the characters of a play called life. It’s true that we never
chose what place to be born in, but still, we have the ability to make an
impact. There will never be another time
on Earth for anyone, so don’t hold back living to the fullest, just do it! A time
will come, when our teeth are gone and what we will cherish most are memories.
So, what will your memories be? Live it today, and smile tomorrow. I watched an
Emirates Airlines ad featuring two football greats-Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known
as Pelé who dazzled the world four decades ago and Cristiano Ronaldo, a modern
day legend. In the ad, some two guys are speaking behind the latter’s back and
he has a big smirk written all over his face but gets a tad embarrassed to
realize that they are in awe of the former as he approaches. Then, another guy
asks Pele to take a photo as he poses with Ronaldo. The guy doesn’t even know
how highly esteemed Pele is held by those who bore testament to his exploits. And
it ends with the two legends in an embrace, the hourglass is at par. Life
really is a cycle and there’s nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
Everyone has what
they consider success. Whether it is personal, corporate, social or even as a
nation. We really need to come to terms with what true success is. It would be
foolhardy to chase life for the ultimate glory and collapse right at the very
end. Each day should be lived such that regrets and disillusionment don’t cloud
our happiness. But if having fun will last a day, and happiness last for a
season, what is eternal is the joy of the Lord. Seek it and you’ll never be
caught up in the viciousness and vanity of this life. As some friends of mine
summed up the life of man in a song titled ‘Vanity’,
Maisha haya yatoweka,
Mchangani tutakuweka
Mali yako, hautabeba,
Itakwishia dunia...
Indeed, as Jesus
said in various accounts of the Gospel, “Heaven and earth
will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35, Luke 21:33,
Mark 13:31). Let us trust In Him, but also remember this: You only have one
life, so live it right. Do what your heart desires and go for that one thing in
the world that will truly make you happy.
I did. And I’m
loving it J
 |
| Wild & Free |
