It’s a Saturday evening, the
clouds are so dark; you can search all over and never find even an African so
dark (lol). This means only one thing. The heavens are heavily pregnant, ready
to rain down and rain hard on un-expecting humans. We have just come from eating
a 4 kg 4-layered cake at a friend’s graduation party…the taste that the cake
left is still with me. A friend and I are chatting our way to town in the
cool and quiet evening.
‘Aki kutanyesha (It’s going to
rain)” there is a worried look on my face as I touch my recently blow-dried mane.
“Hakutanyesha…I am not a rain
maker but chill uone, hakutanyesha (No it won’t rain…. I’m not a rain maker but just
wait and see)” he says amid laughter.
“Uko sure? (Are you sure?)” (Lately
I have been asking this alot…but that’s another day’s tale)
“Yes…trust me.”
And so I did. And instead of
taking a ride to another friend’s place…we decided to walk. Evening walks are
one of my favorite things to do…especially with good company :-) . So we walk. And what
goes well with walking…especially on such a cool evening? Talking. And so we
talked. We talked about almost everything…from scripture…spiritual lives, lame jokes,
a few adventures in the timeline, business opportunities (ha-ha yes…this had to
be there) and how life in general was.
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| source: www.pixabay.com |
When
we arrived at this other
friend’s house for dinner, music and laughter (yes, that is how dinner
is served...with music and laughter), I remember just thinking about how
the long
weekend (thank you pope…a four day weekend was just what some of us
needed. I
don’t think I can ever repay you…literally) had been. I remember
thinking about
the laughter and joy we were sharing over a meal. I remember thinking
how this
brother from another mother (hahah yes..he is family, sorry to burst your bubble), had sacrificed so much for me, picking me up when I arrived late
at
night (coz traveling at night is so much fun), even bringing along a
gift,
accompanying me to an event that he did not even know anyone, bringing
us lunch…checking
on us, ensuring we arrived home safely. And I had not even said thank
you. How ungrateful of me…right?
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who
belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Now,
remember that story where a king
and servant went out to hunt and the servant’s hand was cut off and then
the
next time the servant went hunting he left the king and he met
man-eating
humans who could only eat “whole” people? Yes? The one where he was
spared
despite the fact that he was mad at his king for chopping his arm
earlier? Well,
I don’t know if that story happened in real life but this is the point
they were trying to put across:
Be grateful no matter what happens to you, because everything happens
for a purpose. At times thins go so south *is there such a thing as down
south?* that
all we see are the bad things in life; and this creates a negative
attitude and
resentment in our hearts.
Friends, as the year comes to an end in a
few days (yey Christmas), I can’t help but look back at the year and see how
many times I have been ungrateful. I have not said thank you enough. Maybe like
me, you have also been through so much in the year that you see no need of
being grateful. So many times we focus on the things that went wrong and forget
those times, days or moments that went right. Remember that time you lacked and
someone or God provided? Did you say thank you? Or did you think that you
deserved it, that it was your right? Remember that time you were in need and
someone sorted you out? Were you grateful for that? or did you assume that you
deserved to be helped? Remember that time you were unwell and thought you would
never live and you lived? Did you thank God for healing? Remember the last time
you were in hospital? No? Does it occur to you be grateful for good health?
Remember that person who is always there for you…who loves or sticks with you
regardless of how hard it is to deal with you? Remember that person who loves
you despite your flaws? Yes? No? Have you been showing gratitude to them?
Show me one person who is never grateful
and how dull their lives are. Then show me one person who is ever grateful and how
prosperous his life is…and how also they seem to attract good. I am a witness.
For the past few months, the praise “Hallelujah” as been frequent on my lips
and my heart; and things have been good.
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| source: www.christianglobe.com |
What if we showed more gratitude?
What if we started today? What if we did it #ForMyCity and for humanity? Are we
going to wait until the year ends for us to start showing gratitude to family,
friends and God? Start today…won’t you?
Facebook: Njeri Kareithi
Twitter: @deekareithi
(The campaign dubbed
#ForMyCity led by Poetry Spot. Follow the
conversation here)
