Lessons on Faith From London 2012 Olympics

London 2012 Olympics brought together countries from all over the globe. Many athletes competing could not speak one language. But that did not limit their participation.  As I was just reflecting on this thought, I realized how easy it is for the church to come to the unity of faith. You see, in any sport, the participants do not necessarily have to learn the same language, all they need to know is learn the language of the game. If it's handball, you have to know what makes it different from netball or volleyball. If it's triple jump, you need to know the drill and so with each game.

Once you understand the language of the game, whether in a global tongue like English, or in a local dialect like Kalenjin, you are good to go. And as you enter in the field to play, though speaking different tongues, all players are in essence speaking one language, the language of the game.

The Kingdom of God is bigger than our local realities, it is massive beyond the global sense. Beyond the galaxy, the seen and the unseen. And sometimes one can wonder if the maturity of the church according to Eph 4:13, will come when the church comes to the unity of faith, then will the end really come?

But following the above thinking, let us assume the journey of faith is indeed a game at the Olympics, the reality of maturity is like playing at the Olympics and the people of faith are the players. How then can we make the maturity of all saints a possible reality?

To qualify for the Olympics (maturity of faith), one has to practice, learn the language of the game and be good at it, having achieved the set standard. The language of the game in this context is the Knowledge of the Son. This means that you have to have a level of the Knowledge of the son that is substantial enough to make you qualify for maturity.

Did you realize as nations competed at the Olympic they did not send the whole country there? Everybody could not achieve the standard required to play at the Olympics! What does that mean? It means REPRESENTATION. Could it be as much as the quantum that qualifies one for maturity is unknown, the reality of representation could the secret? That as long as some people are able to achieve the set standard required, they can stand on behalf of the rest and their representation can be considered as an achievement for all? 

Back to the basic thought of this note. 

If each player, in their local reality, learnt the language of the game, and acquired the standard required to play at the Olympics, then the unity of faith we seek could become a reality. And so, the task is for me and you to strive to achieve the standard that will qualify us to play at the Olympics. To strive for the knowledge of the son that will bring us to MATURITY.

What Is Your Claim?

If you look at brands they have a communication tagline. This tagline is what we call a claim. Now I was musing about it and I realized human beings do have taglines too. Why do brands have taglines?


Taglines are a condensed representation of the values or attributes a brand wants to be perceived as offering to the target audience. Unfortunately some of these claims are not realistic and neither are they true. But marketers know if they feed you with a claim over and over, your mind starts to think that it is a true claim and we start as we seek to fulfill the created demand and thus we end up consuming the brand.


Let us look at two big brands in Kenya and see what they claim to offer.

OMO : This is a detergent that aggressively fights for her market share. In the recent past they claimed that Dirt is good. Obviously that is a lie if dettol is to go with. Anyway, they would show kids learning how to ride bikes or learning how to play football and as they fall, they would get a badges of honor and that is how dirt is good. In the same campaign they used footballers (Samuel Etoo) to endorse the brand. Who doesn't want their kids to succeed? According to OMO let your kid get as dirty as they can, that is the way to succeed. In my words, let your kids get as dirty as they can, you will only end up using more OMO for the meantime. By the time you realize dirt aint good and your kids cloths are something else, OMO will have come up with another claim... Fights Dried In Stains... who is laughing now?


Let us look at another brand


Coke: Always Refreshing. Life gets monotonous and boring for most of us. And as we engage with what we do we get drained and dehydrated. Knowing water is the best beverage to hydrate, Coke tells you to get refreshed always and so they model that bottle adorned with ice cold sweat that makes you crave for one. That is the claim that water no matter how healthy cannot beat so easily. And that is why it is easy to grab a cold soda over a cold glass of water. Then realizing that people are becoming more health conscious, BRRRRRR came in the picture. We want something exciting to shake us from the inside. And that campaign was a success. And before we realize there is nothing BRRRR about a cold coke, they came up with now what is here... open happiness. Now what is this? Ok, this is fantasy. And subconsciously we are looking for some open happiness... Something liberating, something beyond. Are we still talking about quenching thirst? You tell me...


In a nutshell, that is the power of a tagline, a claim.


Most human beings unfortunately do not have a conscious claim. But of yoy stick around a person you will hear something they say way too often.. Let me sample a few, life is hard, life is boring, I can't do that. I wish I was... I wish I had, If only, I will be happy when... Someday I will...


I believe your claim whether conscious or unconscious will define what you offer life and how your surrounding configure themselves for you. As earlier said, a claim may not be true, but as we consistently engage with it, it starts defining so many things for us.


Having thought about this, my claim for this season is living a great story.

So, what is your claim?

The Hiding People

One thing I miss about my childhood is the playing part. When I think about it now, I see how creative we would get and how sometimes a game would turn out to be frustrating, especially when you can’t agree on the rules or when other kids outdo your creativity.

 When we were younger we would play hide and seek with my brother and at times it would be boring when we ran out of hiding places. But I remember the first time my brother hid in the cupboard and I could not find him. How did he think of replacing the sack of flour with himself?  The competitive me was very frustrated. How can my younger brother outdo me in hiding? Then the day our friend hid by climb a tree just above where we were counting, and I could not find him yet all the other children could see him. I opted out of the game when finally I announce the imaginary cup ‘trophy’ was his. Ooh, and the days we would start a new game within a old one just to eliminate some kids we don’t like.

Now when I think about life, there seems to be a continuation of the hide and seek game. Listen to teenagers and their folks hiding from each other on Fb, or the tout and the dere checking out for the cops, or guy who is on the phone in town checking out kanju. It’s hide and seek all over. Have you noticed how Kenyans are always way ahead of themselves? Just listen to them on the phone while in the bus. Niko Valley Road and at that time you haven’t reached yaya yet on your way to town. Anyho that the hide and seek game I am talking about. Have you listen to or watched programs like busted or cheaters? It’s just a partner seeking their hiding partner… the game continues.

Then we have those who hide in God. They are known so well because of their consistency in bible study and prayer meetings. They preach, lead worship and they are baptized. And we can’t touch them because they are in God. But wait until you find them, they are just the same old sinner; having no sense of fear of God, but just using God as a cover to do all that they are doing. What happened to being real? I know we are not perfect but don’t project what you are not, just be yourself. A time comes when we run out places to hide, or we get caught, and everything comes shattering down.

There is something I love about real people; the kind who just live their life honestly, with integrity and in truth. From experience, the truth can cause trouble, cause terror, humiliate, hurts or even weigh heavy on you but the truth is, it sets free. When we learn to live an open life, with no hiding, no closet, no skeleton, then we live full lives. But the big question is, where and how do you start? It’s like asking a lady who is used to wearing make up to start living without some.

An open truthful life can be hard to start living, but once you find your rhyme and sync, then you realize it was not as hard as it seemed.

They Way I want to See Us

There is a reason why they say we should not judge a book by its cover. But I still can't help it. I judge a book by its cover and that includes the price tag. But once in a while especially if the book is not wrapped up, I peruse a few pages and check out of it's a worth read. If I am not convinced I check out online reviews just to get an opinion. Then I decide if I can afford the book. Which could either mean I start saving for it or just get cash and buy.



And I think that is the same process I use to decide who I should talk to, make friends with and keep as a friend. Not a bad strategy because we must make sure we have the right friends but again the same reason why I ignore books with dull covers always comes into play.



I have been having a desire to know how God sees people. How does He look at us?



There is no color, no skin type, no weight, no dress, no background info, no accent, no make up, no car, no house, no academic qualification, no ettiquette, no homour, no nothing that shapes the way he see us. He looks at us as His own and loves us that way.



And that is how I want to look at you, as a brother and as a sister, sharing one father and living in one amazing mansion called earth, where everything we have is our father's, we are just stewards. And that is the way I want to look at it that way. That is teh way I want to see us.

How Does God Think?

There is this verse that says that God’s thoughts are so far from our thoughts and God ways are way beyond our way. This has made me wonder how then does God think. I have desired to know exactly how God think so that it can be easy for me to please him and do his will. And if our thinking is far from God’s thinking I am hesitant to base my life on man’s thoughts.

Here are my thoughts on how God thinks, and they being my thoughts…. I can’t promise much.

1.    I think God is selfish and his selfishness is for our own good. He says he is jealous when we don’t worship him and when he gets angry we suffer. He went through much hustle to deliver the children of Israel out of Eqypt so that they can worship him. When they missed this, they were destroyed in the wilderness. In our human thinking, selfishness is a vice and that is true because unlike God who everything is about him, our lives are not about us but about God. And that is why God says unless someone loses their lives they cannot find it. That is the paradox. Our selfishness is destruction to us while God’s selfishness is our salvation. And once we align our lives to becoming slaves of God, we are elevated into son-ship where we co heir the Kingdom of God with Christ.

2.    All things work out to serve God’s purposes. As humans we have learnt to classify things as bad, as good, as right and as wrong. Let us go back to Eqypt, when God killed the firstborns so that Pharaoh can let go of the Israelites was that good or bad? Was it right or wrong? How I see it, God is after fulfilling his purposes, and in his sovereignty he can do anything for that. While as humans we shall be trying to reason in our classifications of thing, we end up missing it all. The secret therefore is to capture the purposes of God and make them our own. That is the safety we have. And no wonder the verse that says that ALL THINGS work out for good to all those who love God and all called in his purposes. Once we are in God’s purposes ALL THINGS serve us for good.

3.    The nature, the power and the word of God. You have people say that God is good, all the time and all the time God is good and that is his nature. That statement is true. The nature of God is a nature of goodness considering both the first point where he can do anything to bring us to a place of knowing him and worship him. His nature to forgive and forget, to offer grace and mercy and to provide the holy spirit as a helper and comforter so that we can indeed get to walk in his purposes. The power of God is evident in creation and in his intent. Knowing that God is able to do what he promises to do. And his word which is true and transformative to make us acquire the right attitude and perspective which inform our lifestyle. God does not lie. As human we are full of fear, doubt and blindness in connecting with God, and that is why we need faith. We cannot please God without faith. Faith needs to be exercised so that it grows. We are justified by our faith as the word says. God intent is that we may have an abundant life that is full of goodness as we experience his power. And so our thinking must be transformed so that we can embrace obedience towards the purposes of God and therefore enter into these things.

4.    Eternity: As humans we are always in fear when we think about the afterlife. Our thinking wants us to have our life and then a spiritual life. That is not how God thinks. God’s intention is to dwell among us. That where I am, you too may be found. The coming of Christ was so that we can find our way back to God. The idea is not that we may just live on earth then go to heaven and live with God, No. The idea is that we can start living with God while on earth as we build a dwelling place for him so that where we are, God is. This means we cannot have separate, segregated lives but must build one life that fulfils God purposes without the classifications earlier discussed. And so we must build a balance life so that we can grow into maturity where we have the fullness of Christ’s nature in us as a body. And so when time ends and we enter into eternity, it won’t be an awkward moment being where God is because we have been walking with him and have acquired his nature and his fullness.

These are just some of the thoughts I am able to gather now,  I am on a quest to understand how God thinks so that I can try minimize the gap between his thoughts and mine and those called with me.

I don't Like the World in Your Hands

Now that the whole globe is accessible through hand held gadgets, how much of it do you hold? To reach out to someone, you just need to buzz them or find them online. You can hug them, laugh until you roll and slap them if they are bothering you. You can share your mind in tweets, update your status and mark your location. And the world which you connect with can access you instantly.


 But what happens to the slow ones like me who prefer a face to face chat on a street bench, a walk on the road licking ice cream or playing flute with a green maize? What happens to me who wants a hugs, and who wants to laugh out loud until no sound is coming out of the mouth.? What happens to me?


It is sad when friends are connecting laughing out loud with a blank stare.
It's sad when a phone rings to interrupt a one on one with a friend, and takes over.
It's sad when the world in my hands cannot touch me when i desperately need a human touch
It's just sad.


But this is the new world; exciting, advanced, instant and small. Everyone is connected with everyone else. The world is literally in our hands. We can do with it as we wish. And the best thing about all this, I don't like it that much.

How Great Thou Art (no more)?

There is nothing as refreshing as a walk in the forest, or when you sit still at the bank of a river with your legs dipped in the water, or when you are listening to a water fall. It is also refreshing to feel a breeze of the wind on the top of a hill and having a look at the villages down there. Nature is refreshing.

And that is why the writer of the hymn how great thou art captured the nature of God. I mean the beauty of a high mountain is exhilarating, the singing birds, the therapeutic brooks and such can only reflect the beauty of the creator.

The other day I was thinking on what will be left of nature to show the beauty of my creator to my grandchildren. I fear the rivers will have dried up, the beautiful indigenous forest will have been settled on, the mountains will have no more snow, the birds will have nowhere to stay so that they can lead us in praise during morning glory, the elephants and their trumpets will only be available as videos online. What will I tell my grandchildren?

The degradation of the beauty of our environment has an adverse effect on how God, who is the creator, is perceived. I know he is sovereign to create and destroy, but what about when we as humans become the destroyers. Are we not attacking the NATURE of God? And when the effects of our irresponsibility become destructive, how then shall we sing how great thou art?

How I take care of the environment is of great importance if I am concerned as how God is perceived by the generations to come. I may not do much, but I can do the best with what I have. Plant a tree or two each year, use water wisely, preserve the energy and just be a faithful steward.

It is so easy to blame God when disaster struck, and to start thinking of how cruel and evil God is to send us the floods and such, yet we could and can do something now to make sure the future ahead of us reflects the beauty of creation and the nature of God.

Most Likely Religion Will Take You To Hell

When Jesus came to earth, he threatened the political class and the religious zealots. Herod actually killed all the boys below the age of two years targeting to kills Jesus while he was a baby. And the religious zealots managed to have him killed as an adult.

Why would the political class get threatened by the birth of a little boy? It’s because the Kingdom of God is concerned with how the affair of nations are run, since the systems in a country and the world at large affect the people of God. And with this I don’t mean Christians, I mean the people. And Jesus is concerned whether people are getting abundant life and justice in everyday life.

The religious zealots were also threatened by Jesus because he brought a higher order that required a change of heart posture and a shift in the prevailing mentality. Though the religious people sought God, they had become so engrossed in doing things for the wrong reasons and had missed the essence of faith in their generation. They catch a woman committing adultery and they are so fast to stone him and they wanted Jesus to be part of that. By the way who was the guy and where was he?? This picture among others shared in the gospel demonstrates what religion is capable of.

Jesus did not come to establish any religion, but rather a lifestyle that points people to his father (God). His miracles were not to enrich himself but to make the lives of other people better. His judgments were not to humiliate and embarrass people, but to expose the mentalities that hindered the people from accessing the Kingdom of God. It’s Jesus who was telling the religious people that thieves, prostitutes and tax collectors are entering the Kingdom before them. This demonstrates that the kingdom of God is beyond a religious structure.

The other day I was just thinking about faith and the question was what is the best faith? I believe the best faith is the one that brings you closest to God, makes you a better person, a more sensible person, a more loving person, a more humanitarian person, a more responsible person, a more ethical person. A person who lives in harmony with nature and that has the best desires for others.

Why do I say the best desires for others? Let us consider what Jesus demonstrated at the cross. When he was carrying the suffering of the whole world and two thieves were there receiving justice, he forgot all that and received the thief who requested for a place in his kingdom. Even at that moment, of the climax for his coming to earth, he still desired the best for a person whose life had produced nothing much but shame and disappointment.   

And that is my point. Religion will most likely take you to hell. Have you read Mathew 25 where Jesus says go away you evil doers, I didn’t know yo? The people who actually get chased away in this context are the religious loot. Because they start narrating how they did great wonders in the name of Jesus, and yet he tells them off.

I believe religion is manmade; it is not from God. It produces a people who are self centered, fearful and detached from the realities of life, who would rather scare people about hell than demonstrate the love of heaven. Who sneer at prostitutes and call homosexuals names instead of spreading the good news of the gospel.

 And as we talk about the good news, you should ask yourself if your faith produce good news to those in the dark; and not just news about a future event but good news about their life on earth. And when you go back to Mathew 25, those who join at the banquet are those that had good news to strangers, to the homeless, to the naked and such.

My point is, faith is done, lived and felt. And as we seek to find God, we should know that he has a greater agenda than ourselves that connects to all humanity. And so we are called to partner with him to reach out to those oppressed by different systems in the world and to point them to God. And if God is love, then to say we know God is to say we know how to love. And if Love conquers all, then our work is to spread love.

So What?

Life becomes so structured at times it’s boring; like waking up on Monday and waking up on Tuesday. Why can’t the weekend start on Monday? And talk of weekends, I actually at times can’t tell the difference between a weekday and a weekend, because I will have to wake up early every day, I will have to work harder everyday and I will struggle to wake up every day. There is no easy day to just relax and do nothing.

And I love doing nothing.

Life has become so stretching we all wish a day had 48 hours. We wish a day or two could be added to the weekend or a few hours to the night at least so that we can have a chance to finish a dream. But we are stuck with 24hrs a day and seven days a week with loads and loads of work and responsibilities being put upon our shoulders every day. What do we do?

One thing I have learnt over time is that I cannot manage time. I mean 24 hours are just 24 hours. So I have learnt to manage events. Within my 24 hrs I have different events that I need to participate in. Waking up is the first event. It takes four snoozes. That adds up to 20 minutes. Then I have breakfast, devotion, walking to work, checking mails and replying, setting the other events for the day and the list goes on and on. This means I have to manage all my events so that my 24hrs may accommodate all my events. And don’t forget sleeping is also another event that I used to ignore, but nowadays I don’t.

The thing is, life is not getting any easier, but each day much more is required from me. And so I have to decide which events in my daily schedule that are a must do and I give them priority. I also have to remember those events that seem unnecessary yet they are the backbone of my whole being, like a moment of prayer or meditation or rest, which I easily ignore because I can’t leave the house without brushing my teeth but I do often rush out and tell God, I will catch you soon. And before long, the day slips away and as I lay my head later in the evening, I mumble some words in the name of prayer. I am that pathetic at times. God forgive me.

Beyond the events of our days are the expectations from different people. A client wants her report by midday, a friend want you to meet in the evening for something serious, the blog is waiting for the daily post and yeah your wife is also waiting for you to give her the required attention. This means your daily events are tied up to expectations that you have to decide if you are going to meet or not. That is a major consideration too.

And as I plan my day, I have often learnt to ask myself ‘SO WHAT?’ as a measure of priority and meaning. It’s so easy to be busy and tired and when you look at all what you have been doing, it doesn’t add much value to life and thus a waste of both energy and opportunity. 

And when I feel like doing nothing (obviously after the ‘so what?’ evaluation), I will bum all day, or take a break or even just switch off the phone. And if you are still in the paradigm of pleasing everyone; you are in big trouble. Because at times you just have to say no to people. 

Its time this event ends, I have expectations to meet and 24 hrs to stretch. Catch you soon when we are participating in the same event!

You Are Never Displaced

Have you ever felt like you are displaced, lost and not where you want to be in life. Maybe it’s your job and you are not feeling it. Or maybe it’s just that you are not meeting up your expectations in life, and you kind of don’t know how to get there. I used to feel like that a lot and it was frustrating. The feeling of desiring to succeed, yet when I look at where I was, I felt like I had lost way and I was never to get to my dreams.

Ambitious people tend to have high expectations out of themselves and most of the time, before they get to achieve their dreams, they live miserably, feeling like losers yet when people look at their lives they seem to have it held together. No wonder they say, most of the happy people in the world have the least expectations. But you don’t need to lessen your expectations to be happy. It’s healthy to be ambitious and to think big. But we need to take care not to live a miserable life as we try to get there. How do we do that?  

Have you ever heard the story of the builder who was about to retire and his demanding boss requested him to build one more last house? The builder; who had dedicated himself fully all his life, felt as if the boss was taking advantage of him. He agreed to build the last house but for once in his life, his heart was not in it. In a hurry trying to finish his career, he did a shoddy job. And as the boss threw a farewell party on his retirement, he handed him the keys to the house he had just build last.

When we feel displaced, we tend to do things just for the sake. You find someone going for work just because he needs a pay check at the end of the month. The feeling of displacement makes one do thing half heartedly. You become unsettled and anxious all the time and you lose the touch of excellence.

When I was thinking about this, I was reminded of David’s story. Refer to 1 Samuel 16, 17 and 18. I was imagining how David used to feel, when he would see his brothers going for war and he would be sent to look after the sheep. I mean, even when the prophet came to anoint one of Jesse’s son, David was not around.

It was so easy for David to feel misplaced. I know within his heart, he had dreams of being a warrior and accompanying his big brothers for war. I imagine their conversations in the evening; his brothers are narrating how terrorizing Goliath had become, and as David would try to recall his events with the sheep, the brothers would rudely interrupt him, wondering what is this boy talking about. We all know how we cut off our small brother’s silly stories. I know I did.

Yet David was dedicated in his task even with the expected feeling of displacement. He wouldn’t leave the sheep alone and try and sneak to the battlefield to watch like I would have done. No, he would dutifully look after the sheep. What encourages me most is seeing how God was still developing his muscles for war while at the pasture land. I mean he fought the bear and the lion. And so when, by accident, he saw Goliath trying to defy the armies of God, the build dimensions of a warrior in him rose and he took the challenge.

I have been a victim of despising my current placement as I try to capture the desired life. But one thing I have come to learn is that my faithfulness in the place I am will eventually fuel my getting to my desired place. God in his own way is able to prepare us for the future with our present. Even when we feel like our present state is like a waste of time. We just need to be faithful.

Most people called by God, still don’t believe all things work for good. ALL THINGS.  And when you understand that, you will be faithful in the things that in your natural thinking may not seem to take you to your desired place. Look at Abraham in Genesis 12, God tell him to follow him to a place he will be shown. God doesn’t tell him the place at first. He unfolds Abraham’s journey as he walk in faith and obedience day to day. That’s how God works.

That is our call. Your faith in God should always remind you that he is using your current place to prepare you for your place of honor. People may see as if you are just a shepherd boy, but God is using that to prepare a king, a leader who shepherds a whole nation and a warrior. Just be faithful in the little, you shall be made in charge of much. Don’t miss your opportunity like the old builder.

Do you know Zephaniah?

How many of you have read the book of Zephaniah in the bible? Let me see by the show of hands. I can bet very few of us have. But who wants to read a book that starts with words like I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth declares the Lord? That’s not the kind of words we want to hear. Zephaniah is one of the prophets and he was just doing his work, don’t take it personal.

I was just imagining when you get to heaven and then after shaking hands and hugging your favorite guys like Abraham and then Zephaniah comes over to say hi, what kind of conversation would you have? Hey, am Zephaniah, how did you find my book? Zepha what? Which book? For heaven’s sake, kindly read that book, and avoid such embarrassments in heaven.

Not everything we do will be noticed, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. We have a culture that promotes feedback and rating. But one thing I have come to learn about feedback and rating, they have become a way of seeking validation. I have been a victim of this. When I do an article and I open my blog just to find ten page reviews. And at time I get discouraged and I feel like what I am doing is worthless. Or when no one comments on anything and I feel like am shallow.

I have also noticed how sometimes I want to be rated. What do people think about me and stuff? And then I got to think about Zephaniah, what does he feel when he sees most Christians have no interest in his book. I mean, when was the last time you heard someone quote from the book of Zephaniah?

What am I saying? Sometimes God will give you tasks and you will not have a chance to get feedback or rating. You will remain in the dark without knowing how you are doing. But that should not stop you or discourage you. Keep doing your assignment and leave the rest to God.

It’s like when you witness and share the word of the Lord with someone, and no one seems to ever accept Christ from you preaching to them. How does that make you feel? Remember its God who saves. Just plant the seed and God will water it, don’t concern yourself with that which is not important or within your jurisdiction. And when we learn that, we shall not water down the word of God to try and accommodate the world. We shall just do our part, knowing that Jesus is able to save people his own way, without compromising his word. And if you have been feeling like all you have been doing is fruitless, keep on keeping on. Be a faithful steward, your reward is with God.

Of Pee and Poop

For some reason I have been feeling very guilty every time I flush my toilet. Using three to four liters of clean water to push pee and poop to the sewage drain, yet thousands of family in my continent can’t access clean water for basic use each day. I wish I felt nothing, but honestly it has been eating me up.

When my real estate dream materialize, I will build houses that have a tank that collects used water from the kitchen sink, hand washing sink and the laundry room, filter it and re-use the water to flush the toilet.

Meanwhile, I will have to figure out how to deal with this feeling, or I could recapture my childhood escapades of manure-ing the earth!

In the words of Lord Baden Powell “Let it not be said of you in shame when you are gone, that there was much beauty here before you came. Leave the world a better place than you found it”.

Life is a big joke

Life is a big joke, lighten up and enjoy the humor.

It has not always been easy to enjoy life, there is school to be done, exams to pass, skills to acquire, money to make, families to raise and dreams to achieve. We have serious things to do with life. And as we pursue those important things, it so easy to become serious and forget to laugh at the joke that life is.

Sometimes in life I detour, but I have learnt, even when am at the worst and I can’t figure out life or when I have lost my way, the least I can do is enjoy the scenery. And as I get inspired by nature, I find myself finding the way again. But I have met people who, when they detour, they become bitter, resentful and angry. It doesn’t help and such vices never move you forward. Who cares if you have lost your way? Haven’t you heard of how one way leads to another? And how life is a circle, a sign of eternity, without an end or a beginning? Haven’t noticed how we always find ourselves in the same place we’ve been all over again. And we wish we didn’t move at all. I find that funny!

And that is my point. You can never take life too serious not to enjoy it. We have to create moments of simplicity; a cup of tea shared in laughter with your wife, a walk with a buddy that sobers you up and reciting silly rhymes with your kids or nieces and be a kid again.

Life is not the things we do, it’s the moments we create. And so when things are tough and not working out, and we have no power over it, we can create moments of joy and hope to defy the prevailing circumstances.

But how do you do it when everyone is busy and life moving fast. I wonder with all the hurry, where are you going? Most often we miss out our moments of life in a rush to reach out a mirage. We have lost the art of stillness, depth and reflection. We cannot enjoy the pleasure of doing nothing. How many of us work even when on a holiday? How many days can you survive offline? No phone, no internet, no media, nothing?

Nevertheless, you must always take care with humor. It’s so easy to laugh at a joke until you realize, the joke is on you!

The Refining Furnace

Last night I had difficulties finding sleep. And so I kept my eyes open so that I could see* sleep as it’s passed by to my brothers room. He has the technology of finding sleep quite fast. I guess it’s because he sleeps with his eyes open. And as I was waiting, I had a chance to reflect on the matters that were in my heart. I don’t know if it’s just me but its kinda life is too fast I am forever catching up.

Last Monday I woke up and decided to pay mum an impromptu visit at the countryside and spend the whole day bumming around her fireplace. It was interesting because she couldn’t understand why I was not working that day and I kept telling her sometimes you spend a whole day in the office pretending to work and at the end of the day you realize you have done nothing. And I preferred a day spent with her. I had given up trying to catch up with the rest of the working nation.

My mum is one of the few people in my life that I get to be free with. And so I had a blast talking about this and that, about him, about her, about everything. She gets to have a way with stories. I can’t get enough of them. As we were discussing a disturbing matter in my life she mentioned; am going to translate it directly ‘the best gold is tried through fire’.

Last night those were my reflecting words. Why is it that, to whom much is given, much is required? I kept wondering. And why is it that the best gold has to be tried through fire. It’s because impurities cannot withstand high standards of fire. The refining process is through fire so that the final product can impress the smith. Unless the gold knows the end product of the process, it would not appreciate the furnace.

At times in life we feel overwhelmed by responsibilities and demands. We stretch to the limits and sometimes wonder whether it’s really worth it. We are always in a rush to catch up with the rest, trying to fulfill life demands and expectations. And sometimes we want to break down or call it quit. I know it. I have been there.

But I now understand that the process is worth it. If you are keen on the end product then you will appreciate the process. Whatever you are going through, whatever difficulties and challenges you find in your way, your responses will determine the final outcome.

Keep stretching, keep burning in the furnace, and always have this in mind. The best gold is tried through fire. And if you are afraid of fire, maybe you are just wood or grass. I know what I am; and I am fixated at what I am becoming.