Teacher John

I rarely tell this story because I rarely get the chance to, but now, I believe it’s the right time to share with you. September was my birthday month and to be honest, it was the best birthday month, wishes granted and prayers answered even though things look worse, the important part is I had really prayed for some things and they were answered.

Being a kid who was raised to everything good in life, the penthouse, good education, things shifted from a hundred to zero, from having two parents to a single parent, living in good neighborhood to the ghetto because my mom chose to walk away from violence and being a happy independent woman and teach us how your life is determined by the choices you make. Starting from the bottom is not cute at all. It is right because you acquire skills but, IT IS NOT CUTE BECAUSE IT IS ROUGH.

My mom has been strict on spirituality and so church was not and has never been a subject of debate and hence here I am, the result of “teach your children in a certain way and they shall not depart from it…” we enrolled in Sunday school and developed a bond with our Sunday school teachers. My favorite being Teacher John, Chris and Becky. Our second born, Teacher Chris and Rhoda while our last born was small to attend Sunday school.

If you are to join Sunday school, you were put in the database and it included dates of birth and one Sunday every month we would celebrate our birthdays. I was of age and knew what it meant to have a birthday but still understood that mom could not afford a cake or present. I came from school and got out of my uniforms as usual, did my homework and was almost out to bask the remaining heat from the sun setting.

Let me take you back to the Sunday to the birthday week, I used to hot tempered. I would easily hurt someone if I felt I was hurt in any way. Maybe it is because I knew I had lost a lot and if I was to keep anything for myself, I would have to fight for it. Someone crossed my path on Sunday while we were at dance rehearsals and I got so mad, walked out and when Teacher Chris came to have a word with me, I pushed him away. Teacher John came and tried, I gave him the silent treatment, and he stayed there with me and told me “it’s okay if you do not want to talk to me, but I’ll sit here in case you change your mind and want to talk and also have someone with you if you suffer an asthma attack because you are seriously angry” Me being a hot mess, I never shared and went home later…

(Fast forward to my birthday after I am done with homework and almost stepping out)… someone knocked and as everyone was seated at the seating room, I went to answer the door and guess who it was, it was, Teacher John, with a green paper bag (the ones that had the calendar printed on them), he was holding it differently though, like it had something delicate, he said to me Happy Birthday as he handed me the bag. Yes, teacher John was always busy and he also ran the kitchen department at church which landed him many hours of no sleep due to juggling his personal life and having to make sure there were cookies and pastry for everyone visiting church. He found time to remember a kid that was not going to celebrate his birthday. It mattered but being the first born, he did not show it really mattered, and baked him a cake that was more than one and a half kg chocolate cake and delivered it to his doorstep in time to say, happy birthday.

He said he was in a hurry and left before I could recover from the shock and joy to cut it. I was a happy child, God had done it for me. Undeserved but my heart was joyful and was another memory made.

Thank you Teacher John. That was the best birthday because I got to forget everything and be happy for that moment, everything worked out and was okay in that time and one that makes me look at the 11th hour differently. You know, even if He is four days late, He is still on time.

Dear reader, Teacher John are not as many as we could wish for there to be and so be one, be kind to someone and lend a helping hand when you can and also when someone calls out.

©Francis Wairimu

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The mountain and the valley

We live in a society where there is pain and everyone is dealing with his or her issues and have no one to talk to. Black does not crack but however we try to fill a bottle with water, it has to get full and at some point spill. What makes us define people is their actions and the contributions to their actions is the environment and what they take in every day (life journey).

In a person’s life, there are good days and bad days or simply seasons that form character. I want to characterize the seasons as the mountain peak and the valley.

Mountain peak…

This is a phase where out of 100% almost 90% of things are going well (my opinion). We enjoy good health, relationships, career stability etcetera. Job had the best experience at this phase but still one thing he made sure to do is trust in God and give thanks for it (Job 1:1). David also.

We have the best time and worry less because we are comfortable. We also forget to pray, give thanks as we also let loose once in a while in the name of “having fun.” Let’s get honest. We also care less about those who were in our lives when we had nothing. We also acquire ‘friends” (we know why they are in quotes).

I want you to notice the changes and keep track of the mountain peak. Oh, lest I forget, we also get more friend requests on social media since the posts are now enticing.

The valley…

Job lost everything, every single thing… what happened? Everyone flee and became opinionated about what he should and should not do (Job 1:13, 2…). This is where, for example, there is no flour in the house, you notice you ran out of cooking oil, there are no tomatoes, salt and to make it worse no match stick and you are not sure if the remaining gas will cook the ugali and greens you want to have for dinner. 

It happens to the best of us and what gives hope is that even with the small amount of cash in hand, you can divide it and make a meal as you wait for what tomorrow will bring. You might call in a few favors only to get strangers coming to the rescue as your acquired friends give excuses. You do remember to ask God to intervene and also remember when all was well and smile about it as you move on.

Where are you going with all these reminders Francis? Well, I am here to remind you to smile through the valley and the mountain and hold on to your faith in the good (by giving thanks) and also the bad (to remind God you were in His presence and depended on Him when things were well)

He loves praises and a thankful heart (ask Job *Job 1:5* and David *Book of Psalms*). In these, He finds a reason to revisit the book of remembrance and get you through it all. Love on Him every day and you will be amazed. Keep thy covenant and He will keep His. He is not a man that He should lie… most of us have had parents who taught us to go to church and do good but we choose to do the opposite at our will. We treat people ill and forget no situation is permanent. Respect, love and honor people.

But Francis, they hurt me, yes they did, but you can respect and love and honor someone without being around them to hurt you again. They were not there when I needed them most, well, you do not have to pay evil with evil, and you will make no difference between yourself and them if you choose to repay evil with evil.

Whatever the situation, mountain top or valley low, let your relationship with God be the same throughout and treat people well (in most scenarios He will use people to bless you… the treasures of the wicked are stored up for righteous proverbs 13 22… so be smart because you never know who He might decide to use, a friend or an enemy).

Thank you for your continuous newsletters that you keep on sending me of testimonies and hope you received via faith counsel. They encourage me. From believers to non-believers who takes your time to read, I thank God for you and ask Him to visit you and the situation that may be weighing you down and give thanks for your success and answered prayer, and my silent reader, you never comment but I see the numbers, thank you and may God bless you. I love you.

©Francis Wairimu

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Seek Me first…

As humans and especially in the generation we live in... We have sources of joy, it might be a husband, a wife, kids or friends to relatives...

That is why, God gets rid of these sources and especially them that forsake Him when the source came in. The Bible and any man of God will tell you: He is a jealous God.

You cannot replace Him. The same Bible settles at: everything is vanity. So as long as you keep on pulling up different sources of joy, He'll keep on uprooting them while you cry, oh my husband left, my children forsake me,  my partner is pulling out of business, someone I treasure in my life died and I also lost that contract and job that made me fulfilled and happy.

Seek ye the kingdom of God and everything else will be added unto you... This verse was not written by mistake. It means for you to seek the kingdom, you create a connection with God, you become a partner in the kingdom and a relationship is made.

This relationship is like a love life that has gone through thick and thin and still has stood. Now when everything is added to that relationship; a good wife, kids, friends, acquaintances, money and wealth, the relationship cannot be shaken. Because you have developed a habit of dropping anything that might get in the way of that relationship.

We have stored treasures in heaven, unclaimed goods that we shall be reminded, 'All this was yours my son/daughter, but you couldn't focus on them since your source of fulfilment, joy and happiness was settled on the wrong things. You were forcing the wrong tree to bear the right fruit. When I was teaching you humility, you were looking elsewhere. When I was teaching patience, you were leaning on your own understanding.

Throughout my life, I have had to wait for something to work, and in this waiting period I learnt something as I waited. Don't get me wrong, I have also had days when whatever I asked for, I was given before I opened my eyes. When I waited for Him to do it His way and not help Him do it, it was given to me and no one ever snatched it away. From my passion, to blogging to my career life, He's made me to “Be still and know He is God.” 😘

Whatever you need, He will provide immediately... Whatever you want, He will take you through the stages of acquiring it. Let's pray and ask God to help us seek Him as He sorts out our needs. Be blessed.

©Francis Wairimu

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Prayer

Jesus went to Gethsemane with His disciples and after, left them at a distance so that He could go and pray alone, came back and found His disciples asleep and asked them why they could not keep watch with Him and that they should pray so that they will not fall into temptation Matthew 26 ; 36 - 46… (Jesus the son of God believed in prayers) 

Growing up, I have been taught by my lovely mother that, when all is well, pray, when all breaks loose, pray. This means that when things are going well for me, a prayer has been the best way to thank God for the amazing solution and when things went out of control, I broke down at times under depression but went to my knees to pray for Him to do something over the situation.

There has been a problem though (if I should call it that), I have never been able to pray for hours. The best I have done is, ten minutes? I guess? And later resort to look at my neighbor in church as they go the extra mile of thirty minutes to an hour or so praying while I listen to what they are praying for and after, back to business as usual. I know it is funny but what I want to remind you is that, He listens, He just listens because He knew us before we were formed in our mother’s womb and hence knows what we are trying to ask of Him, in the best way we know as long as we have faith that He will be I AM that I AM to the situation and sort it out.

When we cry to Him, as Mercy Ken sang - He knows the secret to our cry, He is God and will act in our best interest. My mom had lost her job and my aunt was paying for my high school fees, something happened and I had to transfer to another school for form two. I was told that I will join a certain school - to be honest, I hated from the idea, the name, even the imagination that I would land there – and I remember telling my youngest brother as we walked from shopping around with so much faith and a heart prayerful ‘if only God will do something even if it was a new school to come up for me to join it and not find myself joining that school I am being told I will have to join, I will be the happiest person on earth’ and guess what, a new government day secondary school was established in our area and I was asked to go and register as I wait for the call letter and after three weeks of another test to wait, I was called back, given a letter asking me to buy the necessary and I joined the new school.

That, was a simple prayer that did not take even a minute, but guess what, God saw my need in that statement like prayer and made things happen. There are a so many testimonies I can give including a scenario when I was going to school and all I needed was two hundred bob. My prayer was, ‘God, even if it means me collecting a 200 bob note in the washroom, just make it happen coz I need that money.’ I later in between class feel pressed and on my way to the washroom I collect a two hundred Kenya shilling bill. I cannot remember if I even remembered to go to the washroom to do what took me there, but my prayer in a sentence had been answered.

So do not stop yourself since someone elsewhere looks prayerful than you are and their prayer is being answered. Pray The Lord’s Prayer, be sure of what you are asking God for and go ahead and mention it. I will not promise you He will answer you exactly the way you expect Him to, but He will answer you (I do not know even the time frame He will need but He will answer) according to His will and the perfect time.

Thank you for your support to my first post here on faith counsel, your letters of encouragement made me tear up and I ask God that may this platform uplift a soul that is almost giving up and may it be where they meet God who will answer their needs… Amen.

©Francis Wairimu

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Give and let God pay

I just had a conversation with my mum and remembered a challenging period in our lives as a family. It has not been easy, but I am here, we are here as a result of Gods favor in our lives. I might seem like I have never been through it but the grace and favor has covered my shame all through.

Why would I talk about giving on my first post, maybe I will need a part two and three to remind you why the little you give God repays and is always faithful even when we seem not to see the results the way we expect it. My dad was a giver (using was because I do not know where he is and would rather hold the reason to myself until when the time is right). I remember a time when I was around age four to seven years, we could go to church and I would see how he would give in the house of the Lord financially even though he never gave his life to God for reasons best known to him. We would later go for lunch as a family to a restaurant and as we gave our order he would round up children and mothers who had not eaten and order for them and pay. 

My mother too has had it rough especially from the separation between her and father and after years she did not have a job and we were at my grandmothers’ care. She later got a job and was able to earn a good income that changed our lives for the best, but, and note this, never did a crying soul both known and unknown to her come and she turned them away, she helped in the best way she could. I was disturbed, my mind would linger how we would almost sleep hungry and neither of them were there for us. I am the kind that believes in ”whoever was there in the time of your despair has automatic right to being there when you are in surplus,” it hurt me to see her give and give without hesitation to people I was sure if things changed, they would never be there… my mother gave and still gives.

Let us remember the story of Mephibosheth, the son to Jonathan who was the son to King Saul. Saul wanted David dead and fearing for his life, he was able to escape and go into hiding and while in exile and through the experience, Jonathan the son to Saul helped David. Jonathan gave assistance to David… It came a time when David was already king and he asked if there was anybody left in the house of Saul so that he could show favor. Mephibosheth was brought to the palace and dined with the king because of something his father did and that is in helping David in time of despair. (Read 2^nd Samuel 21)

My fear was confirmed at class eight, my mom lost her job. We spent all the savings, finished and became debtors to shops, at the groceries and also to the landlord in the period of four years but I went to school, the debts would get messed up but we managed to pay it, my mom got some odd jobs now and then and at a certain period of two years she earned 120 shillings with an asthmatic kid and we still pulled through (I did not know how). All this with the help of Samaritans that would stick around while others offered help once and left. Do you know why we survived? It was God remembering my father and mom giving to them that came knocking for help. He took care of us and that is how I learnt the hard way that giving has a way of coming back to the giver.

If you meet someone and all you can give is your time, clean their wound when hurt or pay for their meal, God will take care of you when you need it, of course give with a heart that expects nothing but also give God a reason to give you more. Also give without announcing to the public of your deed. God bless.

          ©Francis Wairimu

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