I believe the joy of life is
derived from a combination of the transformation we have experienced and a desire/passion
for sharing and continuing with that transformation.
We are a sum total of all the
choices we have made to date. These choices play a huge role in how we live our
lives moving forward. Our journey in this life is marked by a process of change
or transformation. This could be positive or negative. This process is
instrumental in who we become and how we experience that which we face. The
journey ahead of us is largely pegged on how we draw from our past experiences
and how we employ that wisdom to move forward. Therein lies the joys of life
and the great opportunities to be who God wants us to be.
Life has a way of throwing
things our way. Some of those things we encounter might be what we want or want
we don't want. Life in itself has a way of just bringing them to us.
As I write this article, I'm
in an annual men's Gathering. This is a great time where a group of men who
really want to follow Jesus in their lives and be of service to self, family,
teams, organization, and community come together to share their varied
experiences on this journey. A wonderful time. What I can’t stop thinking about
is the idea that instead of spending my time wishing for favourable experiences,
I’d rather spend my time working on how I will face/experience whatever life
brings my way. This has nothing to do with the external factors but everything
to do with my inner being. My inner self. My attitude, my paradigm, my internal
compass. How would I respond if everything I hold so dear comes down crumbling?
If I woke up one morning and AYLF is no more. Right now, my mind can't
comprehend how that would happen because it has grown beyond a few individuals;
it's a movement of people. But, think with me for a moment, how will this
affect me. Will I have the courage to move on. Or what if I woke up and AYLF is
all I ever dreamt it could be, how will that affect me. Will that change me?
How will it change me?
We all have diverse experiences
we go through. Short but tremendous experiences that shift our lives to greater
magnitudes. Or could be just a minor shift. No matter the case, how have you
prepared yourself to face the experience you go through. This is about the
heart. It’s not about knowing what to do, but it's about living that.
I’m also caught up wondering
how to make a choice on what I want to spend my time in. I find myself getting
pulled aside all over to think more of how to balance my time between AYLF and everything
else I would like to do and have the opportunity to do. I have been on this
AYLF journey for almost 12 years now. A lot has happened.
“The essential thing ‘in heaven and earth' is... that there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby
results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life
worth living" Nietzsche
As I reflect
on the above quote, I look back to what I have done in AYLF, and it's been
worth it. My life is worth living, and I don't need to get worried about how to
face what life brings ahead of me. So far, I have lived a worthy life by the
grace of God. I have had amazing experiences that God in His own mercies have
allowed me to go through. I'm no longer the timid, shy boy from a small village
in Siaya County who had a struggle with low self-esteem; still a battle, but,
I’m more aware of it now than I was ten years ago. I still have my own
challenges and confusions, but I'm more aware now than I was. I have so many
people looking up to me. Those who trust me with their lives. My words are no
longer just words, but they carry much weight. This is to me is God at work in my
life. All I have to do is to remain faithful to Him, who gave me a reason to
live my life the way he enabled me to.
As you read
this, what has been your journey like? What are your experiences? How would you
respond if the worst or the best happened to you? Would it change you? How
would it change you?
Find a few
friends and talk about this.
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