Anyone's for the taking

 

Photo credit : usbuzz7.blogspot.com

And this year’s Ballon d’or goes to....., Lionel Messi. Hats off to the phenomenal Argentine once again, but was there really any doubt? After a stellar season with Barcelona, raking in his usual high tally of goals while propelling Barcelona to la Liga and Champion’s league triumphs, Messi’s fifth ballon d’or was long overdue. Once again, Cristiano Ronaldo had to settle for second place in what has become an annual duopoly.

Messi and Ronaldo have been at it for years, and their stranglehold on football’s greatest individual accolade shows no signs of letting up soon even if Neymar tries to suggest otherwise.  Angel Di Maria once joked that they should be 2 Ballon d’ors, one for Messi and Ronaldo to fight over and the other for the rest of the world. Such is the inevitability of either bagging it.

When Cristiano Ronaldo bagged the award in 2013, it was to Frank Ribery’s consternation. It was expected that Ribery would scoop the prize as his exploits steered Bayern to a famous treble that year. Instead, Ronaldo’s goals carried the day, in particular his hat-trick against Sweden in a decisive world-cup play-off.  The Frenchman now holds the view that the award has lost its lustre, being decided on the basis of politics rather than player performances.  Manuel Neuer missing out on the award in 2014 only seemed to embolden his stance with club compatriot Philip Lahm also voicing his discontent by claiming that the Ballon d’or was just an award for strikers.

It can be exasperating when a prestigious honour appears to be reserved for a select few. It doesn’t drive footballers to raise their game but rather drives them to despair as they feel they will never have a shot no matter how well they play over the course of a season.

The polar opposite is taking place in England as the battle for the Premier league heats up. Seasons prior, the title was mainly between Manutd and Arsenal, then it became between Manutd and Chelsea, this season the race has been blown wide open. It’s been a game of musical chairs as Arsenal, Mancity and incredulously, Leicester City have swapped top-spot, with the current leaders Leicester threatening to topple the natural order of things.

Their fairy-tale run doesn’t looking like bursting its bubble anytime soon, as the probability of Leicester City being crowned champions grows larger by the day. At exactly the same period last year, Leicester were staring relegation in the face, now they are dreaming of a league title. They have won over neutrals with their attacking brand of football, and dismissed the long held belief that the league is only for a few teams.

 To say, it has been exciting is an underestimate, any of the Leicester, Mancity and arsenal trio are in with a shout. Any!!! You could dare add Tottenham to the mix. It’s been breath-taking to watch and has been a far-cry from the despair of Philip Lahm and Ribery regarding the Ballon d’or. That the much vaunted prize in English football is anyone’s for the taking has taken everyone by surprise. Leagues around Europe don’t see this competition and are used to the one-horse race of Bayern in Germany, PSG in France, Juventus in Italy even if Napoli are going strong. It just doesn’t happen that often, so it must come as a surprise when an even bigger prize is anyone’s for the taking.

It isn’t what we are accustomed to. We’re used to a glorious honour being for a few but what if the script was flipped? What if the ultimate prize was within touching distance for everybody? What if, unlike Lahm’s objections, different types of people could win it, not just strikers or high profile people! What if that prize wasn’t earned on merit but given by Grace!!! Illogical, It doesn’t make sense but that is God’s way being higher than our ways, when he made the gift of salvation anyone’s for the taking.

Our best efforts were never going to be enough. Our good works alone were always light years away from his perfect holiness. Our sins just distanced ourselves from him (Isaiah 59:2). Knowing that like Ribery and Lahm we would often ask “Why bother?”, he gave us a free pass. He gave us the ultimate prize in Jesus his son, through whom the penalty for our sins was paid in full and not only that but we acquired the the right to become children of God.(John 1:12-13)

A child of God is as big as they come if not the biggest!!! Drawing our identity from God, embracing his love and peace and what do we have to do to get it, just believe in him!!! Only believe and as Leicester are showing us, anyone can believe. The drug addict can believe, the alcoholic man can believe, the promiscuous lady can believe. They and so many more can believe that God loved the world so much that he sent his one and only son to die so that anyone who puts his trust and faith in the son may be saved and have eternal life.(John 3:16)

It really is anyone’s for the taking. Like Leicester’s charge to the EPL, knows not of a past of relegation, so too do we, we don’t have to be burdened by our dark past. Jesus welcomes you with your chequered history and showers you with love and a new identity in him that can enable you to soar to heights you never dreamed possible. That’s the power of his gift of salvation and the best part is, it’s anyone’s for the taking.

You're a big deal

Photo credit: www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

Years back, there was no Instagram , WhatsApp, Candy crush, Professor Bamba, Netflix or even our lovable 50 bob DVD guy. Kids of today might wonder how we survived back then. Well we did, back then we played marbles, kati, and rounder amongst others.  We had fun and we watched whatever KBC had to offer in terms of entertainment. Being kids we loved cartoons and I know I don’t stand alone when I say I lived to watch  Double Dragon, Samurai Pizza Cats, Beast Wars Transformers and off course, Aladdin.

Aladdin was an all-time favourite for many. Who can forget Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, Carpet and the affable Genie with his funny impressions?!!  Genie may have been a star character in the series and the movie but he was a universal character because of the genie in a lamp/bottle story with the accompanying 3 wishes. I would often imagine what I would say if given the chance to make those 3 wishes. Back then, my first wish would be to have all the hotdogs, kebabs and chips in the world!!! Corny.., I know !!! I was a kid with big dreams and an even bigger appetite!!! How I’m still slim till today, with a love for food spanning decades, is anyone’s guess.

My second wish would be for millions of footballs to play with my friends because I just loved football and still do to today even despite my beloved Manutd’s best efforts to put the manufacturers of sleeping pills out of business.

My third and final wish would be to have more wishes!!!  Duh!!!I must say the first two, were original, the third was after hearing that answer over and over again from many others who said it so that they would never have to live with the regret of having wasted their wishes.

Over-time those wishes have changed and I’m certain that nobody shares my previous childhood desires. I am certain that if there were such a thing as a genie today and millions of people were to rub his lamp and ask for three wishes, each time, despite the multitude of responses, the genie would identify a underlying need in those wishes; the need to feel important.

Is there really a desire bigger than that? To feel valued, of worth, appreciated and big in people’s eyes. Look around and you will see it constantly, people frantically searching for validation from others, longing to be affirmed. It’s a longing which never seems to be filled, or maybe it’s because we strive to fill that need with an assortment of things that we deem as ideal measures of our self-worth.

As we live in a society with an ever-growing inclination to relative truth, it comes as no surprise that we have relativized the measure of a person’s worth. The definitive measure of one’s worth varies greatly with no clear-cut marker in place. Money seems to take the first place in defining the value of a person. Have it in plenty and you’re a VIP, have it in moderation and you’re treated just like everybody else, an ordinary person. Don’t have it all and you’re less of a human being to some.

Others derive their importance from the clothes they wear. Only designer labels will make the cut or something straight outta NFM or FAFA. Wear anything less and they feel they will be treated as a ‘has been’ or worse, ‘a never will be’!

A common school of thought is to define our value in terms of the things we have. Thus, you feel important when you have a top of the range vehicle, a mansion, the latest phone and you feel less important when you lack either of these things or posses these items but in lesser value or size.

Looks also play a part in shaping one’s worth to some. Some people will go at any length to achieve the perfect look ranging from a radical diet plan, a rigorous exercise regime, a botox injection or a visit to the plastic surgeon. The slightest blemish will have them worried. They obsess over their looks and only feel affirmed when complimented.

The other significant measure of our identity and worth is in our behaviour or mannerisms. It may sound outlandish but some people feel important because of the foods they eat, with some taking exception to eating certain foods as they feel those foods are beneath them. They are those who drink choice drinks to show their sophistication and sneer at other beverages as they consider them appropriate for a lesser class of people and not them.

Others feel of value when they are seen with the who’s who, they feel important when they’re going to events or travelling the world. They have taken to social media to document their experiences and solicit likes in a bid to feel validated. While others who don’t have their lives as eventful as theirs look on from a distance in envy and wallow in a sort of quarter-life crisis. Then in a bid to feel relevant or cool, they will try to out-do or at the very least match their ‘vibrant’ friends.

Image credit: www.linkedin.com

How we long to be appreciated, to be loved and accepted and we put out all the stops to achieve it.  Not everyone is looking for validation though these ways as they are some who do these things not to be affirmed but because they simply can. Life, education, career, family have enabled them to attain such a status. It maybe also after years of hard work and holding on to their dreams they are receiving their just dues. For a vast majority though, they live a lie because they do these things to feel a sense of worth, not to be left behind by others and at times coming at the cost of hiding their true selves. It’s like living life as a teen yearning for acceptance and doing anything to fit in because of the perceived pressure from the successful elite, whose lives they are dream to emulate.  The song, High school never ends, by Bowling for Soup, perfectly exemplifies it , with the lyrics to the chorus being;

The whole damn world is just as obsessed

With who’s the best dressed and who’s having sex

Who’s got the money, who gets the honeys

Who’s kinda cute and who’s just a mess

And you still don’t have the right look

And you don’t have the right friends

Nothing changes but the faces, the

names, and the trends

High school never ends

GASP!!! What is such a song doing on such a blog!!! Well, I’ll tell you. I l used to adore Rock music even as a Christian. It took me some time before I realized that I had to refrain from listening to some of it. However, not before I drew lessons from the content in that music, especially from this song.

At the time, I related with the song’s lyrics like most of you have. Indeed it was frustrating for some that the never ending high school norms dragged on to adulthood. It is sad that people draw their identity from others who don’t know the real them but are only acquainted with the mask paraded before them. It’s an unevenly balanced scale where you have to work super hard to keep up the pretence that can come crashing down, along with your self-worth at the slightest moment.

Living life this way can be quite exasperating. Having to do these things for identity, love and acceptance can take its toll. It’s futile trying to please everybody because you just can’t and quite frankly you never will. It’s  even more tiresome living to people’s expectations , always needing to put your best foot forward and hide your flaws and issues within, when deep down you long for people to accept you just the way you are.

Photo credit: www.lollydaskal.com

Well, here’s the good part, there is someone who actually knows you inside out to the very hairs of your head and the things you do when nobody’s watching. He knows your addictions, your flaws, your imperfections and still sees you as precious.

That person is Jesus and in his word, he makes it plainly evident how  valuable we are to him. It is seen from day 1, whereas he spoke other things to being, man was hand-made and life was breathed into him!!!(Genesis 2:7)

Our worth to him starts from the get-go, he already knows us before birth as Jeremiah 1:5 reads,  “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Our issues of looking for affirmation mostly start from a lack of identity and here is God saying he knows our lives from conception to death even before we were actually born!!!

This in-depth knowledge of us includes knowing our flaws, the ones we desperately try to hide because we fear will be isolated if people find out. Ordinarily, when we mess up big time, people want nothing to do with us but not Jesus. He still chased after us. He still came running for us even when we were pushing him away.

Value in something or someone can be seen either when someone is willing to undergo sacrifice, to bear humiliation, to endure pain or even death  for that person or thing, that Jesus underwent all 4 underlines just how  important we are to him regardless of whether we are poor, rich, beautiful, average-looking, disabled, messed up et.c. That he sacrificed his Godly sovereignty to become a mere man and relate with us at our level shows just how he valued us. That he was able to endure lashes on his body till he became disfigured, or wear a crown of thorns and then die nailed to a cross naked for us is a larger than life affirmation that he cherishes us and see us as dear to him.

It shows us we’re a big deal to him. I can never understand why he loves us so but with a child-like faith, I believe it to be true. We often tell people we love, “You mean the world to me.” To Jesus, the world, you and me, really meant the world to him and he put aside his life for the world.

Quite often, it’s easy to feel worthless. It’s prevalent to feel cast aside, belittled and feel that we just don’t measure up. When you have the media constantly shoving in your face what you lack to become richer, more beautiful, fun, you drift to feeling inadequate. When people chide you for not reaching their expectations or those of the society, you can feel small. In Jesus’ eyes you are a big deal. You are so precious to him that he sacrificed his life to enable you to gain your identity as his child, his friend or his brother, sister if you accept his gift of salvation and follow him.

Romans 8:34-38 tell us that nothing can separate us from his love. Not the guy you killed when you were driving under the influence of alcohol, nor the porn you watched for the umpteenth time, nor the HELB loan you squandered on a night out, nor that regrettable one night stand,nor that research project that was plagiarized. Nothing. Nothing because on that cross, through his death, he paid the full penalty for your mistakes and cancelled all those flaws to make you flawless if you believed in him.

In Luke 15, the prodigal son thought himself as a nobody when he returned back to his father. He thought he was unworthy to be his son but his father welcomed him back, ‘my son’ and gave him the best robe and held a feast for the VVIP because he had returned. You may come back to him, tail in your legs, a dark past, a sullied reputation but he welcomes you back like the VVIP you are, you’re a big deal to him.

Photo credit :  www.twitter.com

Imela

Photo credit: www.heart2soul.com

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

Photo credit : www.trainingarunner.com

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.

Photo credit : reformedchick.tumblr.com

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.

Photo credit: theologyandchurch.com

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.

Photo credit : www.facebook.com

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.

Photo credit : lagracemagazine.wordpress.com