Imela

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Kenya has seen a number of high profile visitors this year. From Barrack Obama to Pope Francis, Don Moen and only recently, we were privileged to be the hosts of the WTO ministerial conference. In addition to that stellar list, was Nathan Bassey, who many know for the hit song ‘Imela’, a song of thanksgiving. In light of those happenings and as the year draws to a close, many will be saying imela for one reason or another.

First and foremost for life. Some have not been so fortunate to see the end of the year due to ill-fated accidents on the road, terror attacks, illness, but we are still alive so we are thankful. The gift of life, of seeing yet another day is something that we can never take for granted. The thanksgiving for life is mutual for a lot of us, but for others, thanks goes beyond just life but for something more specific.

It may have been imela for a change in status, years of studying bore fruition in the form of a bachelor's degree, a masters or even a PHD. Some said thanks for being admitted to the bar after slogging away at the Kenya School of Law. For some, months of frequent applications through Brighter Monday  and other online platforms resulted in an imela for getting a job. Some said imela for the promotion at work due to their diligence. For others it was that long awaited  walk down the aisle after years of  'pressure' while some went one step further to witness a family of two become three or four.

For some it may have been God’s providence  and have said imela for the new car and good bye to that slab of wood that was an improvised matatu seat. Others are thankful for the new home. While for some it was a smaller item like a laptop, new phone or other material gains.

For some it may have been personal gains that saw them get out of the comfort zones and step into the realm of the unknown with all its possibilities. Thus, Imela was said for taking up a challenge like  moving out, sky-diving, hiking or travelling the world. Others finally took up a leadership position or initiated an activity they had been meaning to do for some time. The result being nomination for an award, receipt of an award. For some it led to a place in that prestigious top 40 under 40 or some other form of recognition.

While for others it was Imela for his healing touch that brought healing for the body from a long illness or for a broken limb. For others it was the healing from the loss of a loved one or the healing from a broken heart after a relationship that ended acrimoniously.

Conversely, and surprisingly, we can also look back at the year and thank God for the bad moments as well. Imela for the interview gone wrong which led you to up your game and in doing so eliminate the likelihood of being flat-footed in your next interview. Imela for the superficial relationships that  made us appreciate the real friendships we already have and work hard at developing better friendships. Imela for the car accident that  served as a wake up call to number your days carefully and reprioritize things in life.

A heart of gratitude for whichever circumstance dispels any disgruntlement.  It leaves little room for discontentment which is the biggest thief of happiness.  It makes us more aware and appreciative of what God has done in our lives. Beyond any doubt, Christmas will be a time when gratitude gushes  out  of our hearts and lips naturally. It’s that time of the year, when saying Imela will be all too common place.

Amidst all the festivity of December. Amidst all the trips up-country or to the coast, the goats and chickens slaughtered, the exchange of gifts and cards, there is one Imela that surpasses all.

It is imela to Jesus. Imela to the God who loved the world so much that sending an angel or a prophet wasn’t sufficient to express that love, he came himself to tell us of his love. It is at Christmas when we realize that, there was a moment when heaven was bereft of God the son, because God the son had become human, a crying little baby that deserved a throne but left his heavenly throne to settle for a manger on earth instead.

 Not only did he tell us but really show it, he was so intent on seeking our good and redeeming us that the sacrifice of his own life was the cost he was willing to pay for us. The baby Jesus was and still is the gift of all gifts, bringing hope to a world that had been mired in despair. Bringing joy to the world as we often sing and as the angels sang, peace. A peace that we experience year after year during the Christmas season as a host of worries and concerns are put aside and laid to rest.

It is a peace that comes from the belief and conviction that the baby Jesus would grow up to eventually die on the cross to give us a free pass to heaven and to God. A peace that comes from knowing that my human efforts or acts of righteousness would never be enough to bridge the gap between me and God, and so he , through the cross became that bridge, the way to heaven and to God . By his mercy and grace, I am  free to enter his kingdom unburdened by my wrongdoings because of the cross which made me perfect before God.

Although he bore a price tag that no human however rich could pay, He wasn’t the gift expensively wrapped. He was just swaddled in clothes, in a manger, and a gift accessible to anybody who just confessed and believed that he is saviour of the world. Imela Jesus for the gift that is you and may we celebrate you during Christmas. 

Merry Christmas all.

Photo Credit : allan.tk

The real food for the soul

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Once upon a time I attempted to stage a hunger strike. Reason? I had been compelled to have ugali for supper for the fourth consecutive  night!!! I was aggrieved. Did we not have anything better to put on the table? I wanted rice or spaghetti, anything other than ugali!!! In a bold show of defiance, I exited the dinner table and proceeded to sulk in the belief I would have my way.

  

Given the African family setting, it’s fair to say you can guess what happened next. Definitely not the rice or spaghetti I had wanted, instead, I was forced to swallow my pride. Literally. I begrudgingly ate ugali that night and never attempted to pull such a stunt again. The memory has me shaking my head in disbelief because fast forward to the present you could never catch me doing something like that. Not solely out of respect for my parents but also my appreciation for Ugali.

Back then, my young mind couldn’t fathom the vast awesomeness of Ugali, now though, I am the wiser. You see, Ugali is more than Kenya’s staple or corn-meal mush as others would put it, Ugali is our gift to the world as Kenyans, other than Obama and Lupita.

Ugali isn’t just food; it is a force of nature. It makes a mockery of the principle of non-contradiction; it is the tasteless food that tastes incredible. Its versatility is the stuff of wonders. Being a starchy food, you could have it with the usual beef, chicken, fish, termites....yes, I did say termites those insects that fly around during the rain. You could decide to go for beans, ndengu or one of my favourite, scrambled eggs with tomato and onions.  You could have it with mala, one of these fine days I’m going to add cocoa or drinking chocolate to mala and have it with ugali, in my heart and head it promises it already is quite the treat.

Not only can you have it for lunch or supper, you could have ugali for breakfast with tea, you can even have it as a substitute for bread and splurge a generous serving of peanut butter on it.

Then, if the white ( vanilla flavoured) ugali isn’t to your liking, you can always make the rich-chocolate flavoured Ugali by adding wimbi. It packs a punch big time. Ugali crisps are also available if you took the vanilla mountain and scraped off the sides of the pan. Who needs Pringles or Urban bites?!! Chefs all over the world have looked to Ugali for inspiration, that’s why we have dishes like polenta, pap, pudding. These are just but derivatives; Ugali is the true and tested original.

I may have gone overboard in my description of Ugali and betrayed my ethnic roots, but I will celebrate Ugali. It took me a while to go from hunger strike to hyperbole but that’s ugali for you. My ugali story is not without purpose for it mirrors my growing appreciation for God’s word since my childhood.

Early on, all I was interested in the stories, David v Goliath, Samson  and Peter’s betrayal. The rest of the bible after the gospels and Acts and after Daniel were pages I scarcely bothered to peruse through. I considered them boring. Slowly though, I have come to realize God’s word is more than just an anthropology of short stories. It is more than just a litany of do’s and don’ts. Neither is it an antique relic irrelevant to the changing times of today. It is God’s manual for life and his love letter to us. Like Ugali I have come to love it for its overwhelming wholesomeness. It has steadily grown from food for thought to food for life.

I have come to know that it is indeed living and active and penetrates to the soul, judging the thoughts and altitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12). Matthew 4:4 likens it to bread, I liken it to Ugali because of the vast, satiating nourishment it gives and the strength I amass by poring over it that not only revives my bones but my spirit and soul as well.

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The lessons I have gathered from it have been numerous. There has been the victory amidst all the odds like Gideon against Midian (Judges 6-7), David against Goliath (1 Samuel 17) or my best story of King Hezekiah against Sennacherib. (2 Kings 18:17- 2 Kings 19:37)

There have been the cases of God working his miraculous transforming power in people’ s lives, like Judah of Genesis 37:26-67 to Judah of Genesis 43:8-10 and Genesis 44:18-33. Hard to believe he is the same man. Then there is Peter who denies Jesus (Luke 22:54-62) to Peter who boldly proclaims Jesus (Acts 2:14-41) and in Acts 4:8-12. Add to that list is Saul, opposing Jesus with zeal in Acts 9:1-2, to embracing Jesus in Acts 9:20 and thereafter. God’s transforming power is incredible. It has made me hope for the best in people even when they considerably display their worst. I therefore cannot rule out change in those who appear to be a foregone conclusion.

There have been the stories of people patiently waiting for a positive change in their circumstances. I refer to those periods, as those of being in the wilderness. These stories have encouraged me during my own wilderness period of tarmacking. I look at Hannah and Elizabeth in their barrenness and then having a son.(1 Samuel 1 and Luke 1:13), Abraham’s 25 years waiting after the promise of a son that eventually sees the birth of Isaac(Genesis 12:4-Genesis 17), Joseph’s long stay in prison and ascension to royalty (Genesis 39:20- Genesis  41:39)or David’s life as a fugitive running from Saul before his reign as king. (1 Samuel 20:42- 2 Samuel 5). These people waited for years but God eventually came through and I believe he will do so for me or anyone else who puts their trust and hope in him.

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Romans 3:23 reminds me that everyone has fallen short of God’s glory, Romans 3:9-20 reinforces it. Not only that, but in saying  that no-one seeks God, no-one understands God I am convinced my righteousness is all God’s doing, not my own, so I have no right to boast of my righteousness. Neither am I surprised when victory over temptation is a struggle for some, I know my victory is because of God, without him, I would be stuck in sin far worse than those who struggle with various temptations.

I have learnt in practice of the curious case of being in a much loftier position despite being broke as opposed to someone who is rich (James 1:9-10). The lack of material wealth has made me aware of the abundant spiritual wealth of God’s presence and peace in my life amongst other gifts like family and friends.

I have learnt of the battle of the spirit and the flesh within me(Galatians 5:16-26) and my way of living by the spirit is by starving the flesh that has meant I put a stop to watching series or movies that will stir up passions within me. “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”(1 Corinthians 6:12-13) I never got the meaning of the saying about food but after the Man enough program it became clearer.  I am master of my sexual desires to God’s glory and not that my sexual desires are master over me.

Then there is the heart. Jeremiah did not mince his words when he said the heart is deceptive beyond all things (Jeremiah 17:9). A deceptive heart made me pursue a relationship and friendships in an unhealthy manner that would not be fruitful. A deceptive heart then became a bitter and wounded heart when those relationships did not materialize. For a long time I struggled with forgiveness and allowed my heart to be filled with envy and bitterness, eventually I learnt to forgive to heal my heart with God’s help.

The experience gave me a vital practical lesson on guarding one’s heart (proverbs 4:23). Not by becoming a staunch believer in the inexistence of love and being thoroughly sceptical of anyone asserting to being in love with me, but, by guarding my heart from bitterness, vengeance by just letting go. It is inevitable, that my heart will break in a world filled with broken people, no-one is perfect. I know I have hurt some people so how can I turn around and refuse to forgive those who hurt me?!  I will forgive and then be patient with them, bearing with them in love (Ephesians 4:2). With God’s help I will strive to be the embodiment of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, how good were it to be if my name were to substitute love like this picture.

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More importantly, the bible is God revealing himself to the world. It speaks of the powerful and mighty God who created everything in Genesis.  The God who is extremely gracious and gives men what they scarcely deserve and the God who is merciful to withhold the punishment we do merit. Yet, it speaks of the God who ensures justice prevails and that the wicked are punished.

It paints the picture of the God, who is repetitively forsaken, ignored, yet mercifully listens to the desperate cries of those who ignored him not too long ago when they rush back to him crying for his help. It’s natural to struggle to understand this God but within the bible in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, previews in Isaiah 52:13-15 or in Genesis 3:15 we find God, through Jesus, coming to Earth living amongst us to show us who he really is.

We come to see God as a king who goes against the earthly principles of self-enrichment but instead prefers to enrich others at his own expense. We come face to face with the God who is concerned for the stricken, who cares for the afflicted, who is full of compassion and even weeps.(John 11:35). In his interaction with the Samaritan woman, the adulterous woman, the crippled, we see a king who cares for the lowly not just the high and mighty.

We come to see a God who preaches forgiveness, love and mercy and He then, in a spectacular show of love, mercy and grace, sacrifices himself to die for us that we may be reconciled to him.  He dies a death that we ought to have died because of our sins. He resurrects and offers eternal life to whoever believes and confesses this to be true.

That is my living hope, not just to enter heaven but to be united with this loving God. I don’t know about you, but I believe it to be true. I thank God for his word, because quite frankly, I don’t know where I would be without it. It has been my light, my strength and my hope. Like Ugali has nourished me over the years , so has God’s word and I will delight in its statutes for they are my life.

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