Critism

In her book, "A Closer Walk", Catherine Marshall writes: "One morning last week He gave me an assignment - for one day I was to go on a 'fast' from criticism. I was not to criticize anybody about anything. For the first half of the day, I simply felt a void, almost as if I had been wiped out as a person.

This was especially true at lunch... I listened to the others and kept silent... In our talkative family no one seemed to notice. Bemused, I noticed that my comments were not missed. The federal government, the judicial system, and the institutional church could apparently get along fine without my penetrating
observations.

But still I didn't see what this fast on criticism was accomplishing until mid-afternoon. That afternoon, a specific, positive vision for this life was dropped into my mind with God's unmistakable hallmark on it - joy! Ideas began to flow in a way I had not experienced in years. Now it was apparent what the Lord wanted me to see. My critical nature had not corrected a single one of the multitudinous things I found fault with. What it had done was to stifle my own creativity.

Criticism is a poison that infiltrates friendships, relationships in our businesses, and even our own families. Like a wrecking ball to a condemned building, our criticism destroys the spirit of those who are scrutinized. It has been said, "A statue has never been set up in honor of a critic." The apostle Paul recognized that criticism stings. He faced it throughout his ministry. Maybe it was after hearing criticism of others that he wrote: "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."(Romans 14:13 [kjv)

Why don't you join me in a 'fast' from criticizing others and let's see what our Father teaches us!"

Life’s stages

Life really moves fast, you know! I hear it has stages, only you never realize when one ends and then you get into another (like when travelling, one bus/train/flight into another). One day you are so little, so dependent on your folks for every tiny thing. Next you are busy trying to act ‘Mr/Miss Independent’, because you think you are all adult, cant they see it? Well, we choose not to judge you because ‘it’s only a stage in life’, and you’ll get over it very soon anyway.

Then you get all adult (like you had always wished), and you start to wish that you were still younger. The responsibilities that come with it, the expectations... You start making statements like, “Aren’t kids just lucky, they’ve got someone to worry about them all the time. They don’t have to think about where to get the next meal, or how to get it ready, what to wear, where they’ll sleep… someone is always concerned about that”. Shut up! You had your chance too! (You can tell that to me too).

Sometime last year, I overheard two of my sisters having this ‘stages of life’ conversation. Owing to their professions, there was a lot of jargon I could hardly pick. (There was nothing about debit-credit, time value of money, taxes… Instead I heard words like Oral, Phallic, Latency stages… what!?) So, despite how interesting the conversation seemed to be, my mind had soon wondered to other things and that was it.

For some strange reason today, I found myself busy on Google trying to find out what the girls were talking about. To my disappointment, there are so many theories, named after so many people…

Well, I must be at some stage, or in between stages. Definitely not any of those I remember from that conversation. I am at a stage whereby I have to work hard in order to get any material thing I need. I have this drive to progress in my career and so I find myself sometimes pushing myself beyond the limit. I sometimes have sleepless nights trying to figure out how I’ll deal with certain things, sometimes out of so much joy and other times there is simply no sleep. At this stage, I also have to worry on behalf of some young one, why is she coughing. Oh, she fell, did she hurt herself?School fees is due. That hair needs attention. No, she didn’t just use that word! Did she feed well? Does she feel loved? And then, thankfully my ‘curious mind’ is still at work, I find myself peeping into books to ensure that I don’t forget everything I once knew in this mad rush… And still, take care of me!

I choose not to start envying the young one; didn’t I have my chance too?

But wait! There is one who keeps on reminding me that whatever stage of life I think I am in, whoever grown up I want to feel, I will always be a child to Him. That he constantly and continuously spends His days and nights caring about me.And that I have nothing to fear. And that’s my Creator. And so suddenly, anything and everything heavy that I would otherwise want to attribute to a ‘stage of life’ feels so much lighter… To top it up, He has given me the gift of wonderful friends and family, who love me and make this life just wonderful! Isn't God just great?

Inspiration....

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

'Preparedness' at its worst!

I think the amount of unpreparedness exposed during the tragic Nakumatt is just pathetic. I have been hoping that strategies had been put into place to deal fast with such happenings after the previous disasters that we have experienced such as collapsing buildings, the 'glue making' company that burned down two years back, the 1998 bomb-blast...

The sight of our so called leaders at the scene, 'identifying' with the bereaved is laughable. Pointing fingers at each other... the parliamentarians to the city council... City Council to Nairobi water and Sewerages company.... NWSC in lack of a scapegoat, saying they will respond later...

That makes me wonder...

1. What is the role of the City council if they cannot ensure that things like hydrants are working in the city buildings?
2. Wouldn't be easy for them to threaten shut-downs of buildings that don't comply with such requirements as emergency exits? In the same manner that they got them to paint the city in order to beautify it? Or do we just have our priorities wrong? A beautiful, dangerous city...
   
3. Are our so called esteemed entrepreneurs just concerned about what comes from our pockets but not the safety of the pocket carriers? I mean, why would a door to a burning building be shut? doesn't this go beyond greed to something more evil?
4. Did the fire brigade guys have uniform? how come there was no water at a fir station? Who trains them and how? do they have fire drills? Did you notice the disorganization?

The list is endless.... I just think someone ought to start doing their work!

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