Light at the end of the tunnel

Image credit: www.rosenblumtv.com

Ordinarily, I would be among those strident voices criticizing ethnicity. I wouldn't be caught dead asking which tribe do you hail from. Matter of fact, I would sigh and roll my eyes  in exasperated frustration at the sight of another politician calling their tribesmen to vote as a tribal bloc. However, there are times when I delight in identifying with my ethnic community. Not to propagate the belief that we are superior to another group but to instead to delight in a particular positive characteristic associated with my tribe that should be replicated by other Kenyans. This just happens to be one of those times.

I am a Luhya. A pure one, when you consider both my parents hail from that group but also a fake one, since I don't speak any dialect. The shame. I know, it's why a call myself a Luhya from Kawangware. Anywho, a positive characteristic synonymous of my community is the deep regard we have for the handshake.

To the common-folk, a handshake is just a handshake, but to the Luhya it is so much more. It is a way of conveying genuine hospitality, warmth and heartfelt gratitude that is mirrored in the exuberance and the length of the handshake. One does not simply outstretch their hand to another and briefly shake their hand, No, that won't cut it for us. The Luhya way, is to use your left hand to place the other person's hand in a lock position and then use the right hand to vigorously shake the hand of this long-lost acquaintance. Preferably this should be done for a period not exceeding a minute. At the very least half a minute. All the while, you barrage your long lost acquaintance with a series of 'Mulembes or mulembe-munos' or "Bhusheres/Bhushere-munos" or "Orio-munos", whichever is most appropriate.

This handshake is a gesture that many city folk will encounter from their rural counterparts when they head back to UK(United Kakamega) or BG (Bungoma) or whichever part of Western Province during Christmas. This December, I can say I am definitely having the same Luhya kind of thankfulness and exuberance to God for how faithful he has been to me this year.

For one, unlike previous Decembers, which have gone by with me carrying the burden of another year of tarmacking and without work, this year will see me remembering God finally removing me from the slimy pit of unemployment and giving me a firm rock of a job on which to stand on. Sure, it was a temporary 3-month contract, but I'm very thankful to God for it. For 3 years, the work experience section on my CV was blank. For 3 years, I had to endure not knowing what to say when a family member or friend asked me, "What are you up to? What's new? Where are you now days?" For 3 years I had to look on seeing guys on Linkedin with impressive job titles, seeing friends on Facebook get married, some going to Baby no.2 while I just stagnated. I was jobless, cash-less, bae-less just but to mention a few.

It was tough but God is faithful though. After 3 years the wait was over, and to prove himself provident, my 3 year long wait for a job ended on my birthday. Matthew 7:10 cites God being a father who gives good gifts to his children who ask him. It's hard for me to argue with that since he gave me the exact birthday gift I yearned for; a job.

A job that had my name written on it from the get go. Upon arriving for my interview, it dawned on me after some minutes of waiting that I was the only applicant for the interview. That gave me the world of confidence. Then during the interview, there was no "so tell me about yourself....where do you see yourself in five years?...why should we employ you?". None of that. I didn't even have to worry about negotiating for a salary!!!

It was straight to the point as I was briefed on the duties I was expected to perform and the nature of the job. As I'm being interviewed, i'm thinking,"Lord, sh 30k or 35k, 40k, that would be good for me to support my family with paying the bills, upgrade my wardrobe kidogo, kidogo,hivi-hivi."Bang on cue,  my interviewer then brought an inward Cheshire grin on my face when she said, "Your salary will be 35,000 and I know its little..." In my mind, "Little?!!! Not to me, that's awesome I will very much take it". At long last, KRA could finally demand something from me and next year it wouldn't be business as usual which was filing NIL returns. And it doesn't end there.... I was to be given a monthly meal allowance that meant I would eat more than my fair share of sausages, bacon, chocolate doughnuts than I would care to imagine. The job also provided me with the opportunity to check-off items on my food-bucket list such as lasagna, moussaka, and shepherd's pie.

The job meant I had access to the Library so I finally got my hands on Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Boy, what a book that was! In addition, it so happened my colleague at the office had a soft-copy of the Purpose driven life by Rick Warren, another book I had been dying to read, and I was thoroughly blessed by reading it as well. Friday, being the last working day of the week as stipulated in my contract meant every week I had a really long, relaxing weekend to recharge. Who could ask for more?

God was really on the top of his game when it came to giving. He blessed me big time and I was mighty thankful for it. I was though more thankful for the 3-year wilderness period without a job. "Huh?!!!Ken, you're thankful for 3 years without a job?" Yes I am. Yes I am, because 3 years without a job, was more than compensated for by 3 years with an ever-present God who was my rock, my peace and my comfort in the midst of it. When you hit rock-bottom is when you look up and God is there to meet you gaze, He doesn't disappoint thereafter. He was there for me.

I recall the moments I sat in a bus, or as I was at home, thinking like David, "How long, LORD, how long?" How long was I to waste away? How long for me to celebrate others before I celebrate myself? How long before I can move out, before I can think of pursuing a girlfriend, how long before I can have a son?

Many times I felt despair. Many times I lost my self-worth.  My first-class degree became less of an indication of my merit but more of a plain piece of paper. I didn't feel at all as a man, I felt life was passing me by and I had a lot of growing up to do even if I was growing older. God, though reassured me of my identity in Christ. He encouraged me through his word day after day, through family, through friends. He was my peace even when I was just mark-timing and others around me were progressing in their careers. I never had to down my sorrows with copious amounts of booze. I didn't have to reach out for coke or weed to lift my spirits. God's peace was enough. God was my comfort by just reading his word and going on my knees to pray to him. The worries of an uncertain future and the disappointment of an uneventful present would do a vanishing act at the mention of 'Amen'. God became very real to me in that 3 year period more than I could ever have imagined. It was when I was wrestling with doubt, insecurity, hopelessness that God proved himself my assurance, my hope, my comforter and peace and I can't thank him enough. God was with me.

Emmanuel was the name to be given to the baby Jesus because it meant God with us.  It's a name that Jesus more than lived up to for me in these 3 years. He never promised it would be easy, he never promised it would all smooth sailing but he assured he would be with us. I think that's light for the tunnel for a host of  Christians. I think that's why we celebrate Jesus at Christmas every December in spite of us not knowing the exact death of his birth. We can be certain that even in trials, difficulties, long-waiting periods we can be there. It could be argued that he couldn't have been born in the Middle East in December, but surely, for the hope he give us  amidst difficulty, for the strength he give us to overcome adversity, for the freedom he give us when we were enslaved to wickedness, to look back and be grateful for how faithful God was during the year is cause for celebration of his birth in December? No matter how dark, bleak and lonely the tunnels we go through are, we can have hope that Jesus is with us and that He will lead us to light eventually.


That just about wraps up my one minute of me shaking God's imaginary hand. I'll be sure to shake his hand more often than not because He is a faithful God. He has done it once, he is bound to do it again.