“I once heard a story about how a certain group of people would catch monkeys. They would simply dig out a hole on the side of a tree and put some nuts in it. They would then leave it until a monkey would come over to pick the nuts. A monkey would stick its hand in the little hole, enough for it to just slide its hand in, and grab the nuts.
What would you do if today you were disinherited? If land that you were entitled to was taken away; if you lost all your ability to earn a living (please note it is not just losing a job but perhaps your ability to work); if all your friends deserted you and your spouse left you? What would you do?
Think about it.
Introduction
I do not want to go into the whole dialogue about Kenya and Africa in general – how we can have drought one season with people dying of hunger and losing livestock because the rains failed; then the next season, they are being carried away by floods in the very regions where they experienced drought.
Instead I will refer to a time within the last two years.
Introduction
This week I was arrested by the City Council for contravening one of its rules. I was arrested for disposing off storm water onto the street – where else does one send it when all Nairobi is one big pool.
This was a case of my money or my life. My life here may not have meant that I was in any physical danger.
Its the 12th day of the 5th month of the year. For those who love numbers and their symbolism…12 is the number of Governance and 5 that of Grace. So Grace and Governance marked my day today. I love Kenya…my country. I think, no, I am convinced that God is Wisdom and that that wisdom is magnificently illustrated by the country in which He placed me, to belong.
To commemorate the 18 great years since I married my college sweetheart, I took some time to think through 18 lessons that I’ve learnt about marriage in that time. Please vote for your top 3 and I promise to expound on them in a blog post soon! So… here goes…
- A great marriage consists of two good friends - everything else is hype…
I’m writing this post 5 hours after the doctors had administered a paralysis drug into mother-in-law just minutes before they were to switch off her life support. Shocking, I know! However, 5 hours ago, I was writing a sermon and pondering the kind of sermon ought we be preaching to our church. The problem is that today’s preachers are just torn in trying to work out how and what to preach.
Message by Pst. Zeph
How many of you have lost property, a job, a relationship, your health, self esteem, dignity, a position or even death of a close person?
How did you respond?
How was the recovery process?
Recap
In our series on stewardship or life, last week we dealt with managing isolation in order to be great. For any one to be great, they have to go through times of isolation in order to grow to a position of influence. We saw that many times we seek out for comfort yet it is through the tough times that our character is grown, our maturity is stretched and we become resolute in whatever we stand for in order to handle tough times that come on the journey to greatness.
When we stand for our values and principles on our journey to greatness, like Jesus, we are many times betrayed or denied by our close friends. We are persecuted by our political and religious leaders; we are rejected by the masses we are trying to help. We are mocked and ridiculed by those who are supposed to protect us. How then do we respond to such treatment?
From the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross leading to his death, we can learn on how he responded and practice these three things when we go through isolation:
- Forgive and pray for those who have been involved in your isolation, they are setting you up for greatness.
- Hope and believe that good times lie ahead of you. Do not focus on the current pain in your isolation but look forward to the prize ahead.
- Submit to the giver of LIFE what you have and do not let your spirit be crushed by the pain of your body. He is the one who will sustain you, heal you and raise you to greatness.
Let us to look at how to manage your life when you loose something or someone important in your life. We will be looking at the responses of the disciples on the death of Jesus and what we can learn in order to deal with loss of what we value.
Tale Tell
A famous evangelist told the following incident:
“I have a friend who in a time of business recession lost his job, a sizable fortune, and his beautiful home. To add to his sorrow, his precious wife died; yet he tenaciously held to his faith — the only thing he had left. One day when he was out walking in search of employment, he stopped to watch some men who were doing stonework on a large church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of rock. ‘Where are you going to put that?’ he asked. The workman said, ‘Do you see that little opening up there near the spire? Well, I’m shaping this stone down here so that it will fit in up there.’ Tears filled my friend’s eyes as he walked away, for the Lord had spoken to him through that laborer whose words gave new meaning to his troubled situation. Our Daily Bread.”
I want to repeat what I said last week that the attitude that we adopt when passing through tough times will depend on whether we grow to greatness or remain average.
In reference to some of your responses I would like to sum up the following as some of the ways that many people respond to loss:
- Withdrawal
- Denial
- Apathy
- Depression
- Blame game
- Seek for temporary pleasure by watching movies, eating, drugs, alcohol, sex, parties etc
- Resignation
I would like to draw our attention on how the women and disciples responded to the death of Jesus and see what we can learn from there.
Read Luke 24: 1- 12
The women in Vs 1 had accepted that Jesus had died and were going to accord him a culturally honorable gesture of taking spices they had prepared to the tomb where they expected to find the dead body of Jesus.
The disciples had also accepted the fact that Jesus had died and expected that the body would still be in the tomb in verse 11, they did not believe when they were told by the women that they did not find the body. They were probably still mourning together in a retreat where they had gathered. Some may still have been in denial that it happened. Some may have gone back to their fishing jobs as recorded in John 21. This is a typical healthy reaction that people take when they loose something. I would like to share my thoughts on how to deal with loss from that point.
Recognize or acknowledge
The fist level of dealing with loss is to recognize that there is a problem. You do not need to live in denial that you have lost something. It could be a property, a relationship or a person. Sometimes you can choose to manage the symptoms of loss by doing things that will destruct you from the realities such as watching movies, parties, over eating etc But you will have to face the realities and you had better do it sooner than later. Sometimes you can end up doing these things to the extremes such as abusing drugs or alcohol, these habits can take away your ability to make sober judgment. Friend, you may need to start dealing with the facts sooner. Accept and acknowledge that you lost it and it is not the end of the world.
As a family you may need to come together and agree that there is a problem. It is said that when you acknowledge that there is a problem, you are half way to solving it. Allow family members to recognize the issues that are there. Acknowledge that there is a loss of dignity, property or someone. And let people express their feelings. Recognize and acknowledge that a marriage is on the rocks rather than living in pretence.
As the church in Kenya we have to recognize and acknowledge that we have a moral and spiritual problem, in our nation. Beginning from ourselves, this has made us not to stand up to the right values and be prophetic to the political issues in this nation.
As a nation, we have to accept that we have condoned and allowed impunity, greed, corruption and selfishness to thrive among ourselves even before we point fingers to our politicians. We must accept that we have supported our politicians to do things at an institutional level and watched them divide the nation on tribal lines rather than uniting us as a nation and celebrating our diversity. We have sided with them as we watched lives and dignity of many people taken away in this nation. We only wine and cry because of unemployment, poverty, illiteracy and poor health facilities. Our dignity has been ripped off. We have to acknowledge this and seek restoration.
Reflect
The second level of dealing with loss is Reflection. Vs 13 to 49 records how the disciples dealt with putting things in perspective after knowing that Jesus had died and his body is no longer in the tomb. Two disciples were on their way to Emmaus in a conversation that involved current news about a prophet who was powerful in word and deed before all people, a man who changed their world but had been sentenced to death.
Jesus started putting things in perspective for them by reminding them of what the scriptures had said about this man.
When he was urged to stay with them for the night, he dined with them and did a gesture that opened their eyes. He broke bread and gave thanks, a gesture that may have reminded them of a man who fed multitudes from a simple lunch of a boy. The gesture may have reminded them of the last supper they had with him, when he broke bread and shared wine with them. Their eyes were opened and they recognized the Lord Jesus. It was through reflection.
Acknowledging your problem is not enough even though it is important. Take a retreat and reflect to put things in perspective so that you have a better closure. Reflections helps to sieve out what is right and what is false. Reflection helps to diagnose the root causes of problems at hand. Reflection helps to remind you of the times things have not worked out in the past when you encountered similar challenges. Reflections will remind you how you handled them so that you do not repeat the same mistakes. Reflection helps in evaluation of events with sobriety.
As an individual, a retreat to reflect on your journey to where you are now is important. It may have been a painful journey, but there must have been lessons you learnt on your way. You may have encountered challenges, but character can not be formed unless you go through those challenges. You can draw out the best out of your painful situations or you can choose to remain bitter for life because of the wrong perception you develop about yourself, others and God in your circumstance. Take time to reflect.
Reflection takes place when you ask or are asked the right questions that will trigger you to finding the right solutions. It may mean talking to the right people who will look at your situation objectively. I have a few friends that I always consult when I need objectivity.
Reflection can be done through practicing the spiritual disciplines of prayer, study of the word, fasting, solitude in order to listen to the Lord and hear what he is saying in your life.
Reflection may mean isolating yourself so that you are away from the familiar. Many of the people who go and live in a different culture come back with appreciation of their own culture or a desire to practice something else they have learnt from a different culture. Change of location causes displacement that makes one reflect on what they are familiar with.
Reflection may mean temporary separation from your marriage so that you are able to step out of your quagmire and see things with the right perspective.
When you put things in perspective through reflection, you will be encouraged to abide in Jesus and remain in him despite your pain, like job you can confess and say “Even if you slay me, I will still trust you.” Take time to reflect.
As a family you may need to gather others and reflect on what has led to the current state that you are in. Allowing people to mourn and pour out their frustrations so that their voices are heard. Seek out for reconciliation of members who have been at loggerheads. Take time to reflect.
As a nation we need to take time to reflect on where we have come from. As we prepare for elections, this year or early next year. Reflect and remember the pains we went through in 2007-8 because of tribalism and selfishness of a few politicians who are out to gain from the losses of many. We lost many lives through the post election violence, we lost property in millions. Should we go back to the same place again?
Let us reflect on our history and move out of the ugly past that we have gone through by electing leaders not on the basis of their tribes but on the basis of the national values we want to have. Take time to reflect.
I appreciate that there is a commission of truth and justice that seeks to listen and hear the past injustices. This is a commission that needs your prayers, in order to help some people in this nation to move on from the losses they have encountered from unjust regimes. This gives us an opportunity to reflect on where we went wrong and amend our ways, forgive those who offended and bless those who seek forgiveness. Kenyans, lets take time to reflect.
Reflection helps to count your blessings as you look at what God has done, it helps you see the victories you have experienced. It helps you to see the power and potential that you have, to reach greatness.
The discovery of the disciples that Jesus had risen and was with them gave them hope and they were able to put everything in perspective as far as prophesies and scripture is concerned. He even told them to wait for the Holy Spirit who will come and help them.
There is much more to the losses we experience, God gives us an opportunity to be more responsible, the creativity to do better and the strength to soar higher. This leads me to the next point.
Reconstruct
The third level of rising from low to great is reconstruction. The last verses of Luke 24: 50-53 are so inspiring on how the disciples started rebuilding their lives. Jesus blessed them and ascended to heaven. They were left worshiping God with joy. They stayed at the temple continually, they were joyful and united. They were ready to move on with a new lease of life. When the Holy Spirit came on them on Pentecost, they were the world changers.
Do not stay at the reflection level but move on to reconstruct your life. You may have lost what was important, you may have sunk as low as it can ever get. It is your time to bounce back to life. There is more to life than what you thought you had lost. Arise and shine for your light has come. Sing for joy you sons and daughters of Kenya. This is your time to rebuild. Take up you tools of trade and begin the work.
It may be your family that needs reconstruction, act like Gideon who went ahead to destroy the altars of Baal and built an altar to the Lord. You can also rise up and initiate the rebuilding of your family.
God is also calling you for national reconstruction, through campaigning and electing the right leaders who will reconstruct this nation. It could be that God is calling you to vie for a political position in order to help in policy making for the reconstruction of this nation. It could be a position of influence you have in your company to change some policies that will transform this nation. Nehemiah rose up to that challenge when Israel had been taken captive. You can also do it for Kenya. Arise and shine for your light has come.
Conclusion
That’s the stewardship of the life that God calls us to. Will you arise beyond the challenges you have encountered? Will you rise up from the low point you have been to the great point that God wants you to be. He is available to help you.
Have you lost anything or anyone you value so much in the past and have not been able to rise up. God is calling you this day. Acknowledge your loss and seek out for help.
Retreat and reflect on your past and get the right perspective about yourself, others and God. See the way God views you rather than the way you view yourself or the way others view you, that’s big LIFE thinking.
Lastly reconstruct your life with the knowledge of who you are in God and what you can do in his power.
[Sermon Script by Pastor Zeph Ananda]
Do you want to be great?
Do you know you are called to greatness?
Are you on your path to greatness?
Are you tired of average lives and want to move on to something greater?
What one thing is hindering you from living a greater life than you are living now?
God created us uniquely in his image that we may carry on his creativity with the talents, gifts, skills, experiences and knowledge he has given to us. The last parable that Jesus gave in the book of Matthew 25 while speaking to the disciples on Mt Olives was about a man who left for a journey and entrusted his three servants with property according to their abilities in order to take care of it. To one he gave 5 talents to another 2 and to the last one he gave 1. All of them took responsibility for their production. The first 2 doubled their investments while the last one returned the same property he had been given with the claim of high handedness of his master, his reward was to be throne to the outer darkness where he wept and gnashed his teeth. All of us have been given life and things to manage in trust by our Father in heaven. He has given us the freedom and boundaries in which to operate in order to achieve results and find greatness. The attitude we adopt in stewarding what we have been given will determine whether we will rise to greatness or not. That is not my focus today but I want to focus on how we steward our life through tough times when we encounter challenges that threaten our journey to greatness. Many of you have mentioned various reasons why you do not make it to greatness but I want to suggest one big reason is that we lack a resolve to stay focused even when everyone does not walk with us or everything does not work for us. It is a very uncomfortable and lonely state to be in, yet it is through this isolation that greatness is bred. How do we steward our lives in such times?
Ingokho
Many people travelled up country over the Easter weekend and many chickens gave their lives. I was reminded of the process that the hen takes in hatching the chicks. It takes 21 days with the eggs under her. Nothing active happens apart from turning around those eggs and a few minutes outing to get some food. I can only imagine the hen feeling that it is taking ages to get to the point of having the chicks. It must be a boring process that requires patience, endurance, longsuffering, and such virtues. It has to take a resolve to stay on until the chicks hatch. Only diligent hens make it to the end. That is the kind of process that God has chosen to take us through in order to achieve greatness. Many of the biblically recorded heroes had to go through times of isolation to be what God intended them to be.
Looking Back
Examples of such include Noah who built an Ark that took years, a concept that was new in the land. He must have been laughed at, but he resolved to be focused and did what he was called to do. Abraham called out of his clan to go to a land he had never known and promised a great nation. It was an isolated journey that even his wife did not understand even though she followed. Isaac, Jacob and Joseph and Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Gideon, David, Jeremiah and other prophets had to go through such kind of isolation for them to be the kind of leaders they rose up to be.
Jesus’ Journey of Isolation
As we celebrate Easter, the story leading towards the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ comes out to affirm such kind of a journey that Jesus went through. He agonized in prayer as he wished that the that cup was taken away but prayed to the father and asked that his will be done.
It was a journey of betrayal and denial from his close friends who had walked with him for three years. Betrayal was as a result of greed for financial gains and denial motivated by fear of the uncertain future. These are people he had shared all the kingdom secrets with but were not willing to walk with him at that time; the burden was too much for them to bear.
It was a journey of persecution and trial by his political and religious leaders in the name of protecting the Roman government and Jewish sect laws. The very people that were meant to defend him through the law but used the same law to persecute and try him.
It was a journey where the very crowds that had been following him previously shouting Hosanna!!, turned against him for not delivering political freedom and preferred a revolt leader Barabbas. People he may have fed with bread and fish from a little boy’s lunch. Some may have had their relatives healed from all kinds of diseases, but they chose to have him crucified and preferred a civil activist.
It was a journey that was accompanied by mockery, scorn and ridicule from the soldiers who put a crown of thorns on his head and a reed on his hand to mock his kingship hailing him as the king of the Jews. They spat on him, struck him and stripped him of his robe before crucifying him among robbers. He was asked to save himself if he was in deed the son of God, he saved others and now he could not save himself.
It was a journey where even his colleagues on the cross, the robbers reviled him asking him to save them as well.
It was a lonely journey.
It was a journey that brought darkness over the whole land while he cried out “my God my God, why have you forsaken me?”
It was a journey of isolation.
Everything came to a stand still; all hope was gone for the women who were following from a distance. All was quiet as he was buried, the chief priests and Pharisees remembering that he had said he will rise after three days put all measures to ensure that he remained dead by sealing the tomb and putting a guard. It was a dead end.
The Journey Today
Many people in our generation, who have risen to positions of influence and are icons, have gone through isolations, such as Wangari Maathai, Nelson Mandela. Do we have people who would like to rise to greatness? Is your journey as lonely as it was for Jesus? Are you experiencing betrayal from the very people you love and cherish? Have they denied you being part of their family or friend because of what you are doing? Are you receiving attacks and persecution from the government, community leaders, religious leaders and other authorities for the values that you stand for? Or for the course you are fighting for? Do the crowds around you look at you and wonder what you are doing and ask if you are sane by not doing what the rest of the crowds are doing? They would rather have their greedy, selfish politicians be their leader rather than associate themselves with you who have nothing but morality to talk about? Are you ridiculed and mocked for some of the things you are saying and doing as outdated and backward? Are you accused of not being realistic and practical in the name of spirituality, called a dreamer who has never woken up? Are you called names and cursed for being self centered while fighting for the rights of others? Are you engulfed with darkness in your life and nothing seems to make sense? All you see is gloom, no hope in your circumstance, overwhelmed by debt, pushed to the streets by joblessness. You have been served with notice of evacuation from your house; you have a warning for discontinuation from school for lack of fees or other issues. You risk loosing your job or have lost it because of your values and faith. You have been sent away from home and are wondering, does anyone care about me. You have been told that you will amount to nothing by your parents because of the stands you have taken. You have been called betrayer for not yielding to some temptations. You have been falsely accused for things you did not do. You have been physically molested, sexually abused and emotionally tortured for standing for the truth. I have good news for you? It is not over yet? You are only being set up for greatness. Your isolation is your journey to greatness. Your darkness will turn into light, your morning into dancing, why? The one who went through all this is with you all the way on your journey to greatness. He will give you the strength to go through them. Be a good steward of what he has given you. Do not loose hope. How do you overcome your obstacles Three things that he did that I want to encourage you to do from Luke 23: 1. Forgive and pray for their forgiveness (Vs 34). Jesus cried out to the father after all he had gone through and said “forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Do not hold anything against your oppressors, ask the Lord to forgive them, and to give you a heart to forgive them. Forgiving means, do not hold anything against them. It is already worse than what they can do. They are only setting you up for greatness. When the Lord comes through for you, they will know who they were fighting. They are too powerless to affect your destiny. Do not allow them to hold your destiny. When you do not forgive you become their captive, bound to their sinfulness. Let go of your bitterness. It will only pile up bile in you which is unhealthy. You are too important for such treatment. Treat yourself well by forgiving. Speak forgiveness to them loudly, speak blessings rather than curses. Your mouth was created to bless and not to curse. Be nice to them and let them die of guilt for mistreating you if they do not repent. You what? When you bless, you add coals of guilt on their heads. They will feel stupid and shameful. 2. Secondly put be hopeful. Jesus told the other thief that asked to be remembered “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Vs 43). The thief knew this was the son of God and wanted to be part of the kingdom. Jesus responded with hope that you will be with me in paradise. You can do the same, do not see your isolation as the end of the world, look at the greatness ahead. Look at the seat of greatness set before you and look forward to sitting on it. Be patient in affliction. You have not resisted to the shedding of blood, your share of affliction is too way small as compared to the glory ahead. Hang in there with hope that there is a better tomorrow or next year. Things will not always be like that, there is a season for everything. A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to sow and a time to reap. Look forward to the better season in your life. Do not let your vision be blurred by the darkness around you. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see him as he is, and the things he has prepared for you. He has good plans for you, to give you a future and a hope. You do not need to stay with your eyes down, lift up your eyes and see the prize ahead of you. 3. Lastly Submit to God. Before Jesus died, he looked up and said in a loud voice “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Vs 46). Jesus surrendered to the father his spirit. Even though the flesh had been mutilated, he knew his spirit would be safe in his father’s hand. Submit to God from the deepest of your heart. Ensure that whatever happens to your body does not crush your spirit. Let your spirit be alive in God by giving your life fully to him. He is your creator; he is the owner of the heaven and earth. He is the one who is able to resurrect you and give you a new lease of life. Life given to him is life gained for eternity. Many want to fight on their own and win the war in the flesh, remember that the battle belongs to the Lord. It is only when you surrender to the commander in chief that your battles will be worn. He is zealously fighting for you even when you do not know it. Submit to God and the devil will flee, when the enemy comes like a flood he will rise his standard against him. Moses, Joshua, David and other leaders of Israel knew this; it is only in submission to the Lord of lords that the battle is worn. Conclusion Jesus did not stay in the grave, after three days he rose again. Death could not hold him, the stone on the tomb could no longer hold him inside, the guard at the tomb could not withstand. The power of God came down and changed everything. He will come and redeem you; he will set you free from all bondages. He will wipe away every tear. He will heal every wound. He will reconcile you to the relationships that are necessary or give you new ones. He will provide beyond what you can think or imagine. He will turn your isolation into greatness.
