But I don't blame them because, these are stories that I had heard before and I never knew that one day, I will be the one on the other end sharing the story. You see, God is one interesting guy and my journey with Him has had its sad times and its happy times - which are like most of the times because of the way things just fall into place when you depend on Him, still learning to fully rely on Him. Get this, His ways are not our ways.
An simple example would be, lets say when you wake up, roll out of the bed and thank God for the beautiful day then go ahead and ask Him to make it lovely... trust me, He will. You may not notice it but that day, you would get out of the house in time, on your way to catch a matatu you meet a friend who ends up paying the fare for you (that's if you're a chic and this friend is a dude #justsaying), as you walk to the office, the guy who sells sweets by the road side smiles really hard at you and drawls "madam, si ukona handbag poa!"(madam,you have a really nice handbag), I mean, don't you think your day has started off on a very good note!!!
God clearly tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He knows what He's doing. He has it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Did I tell you how much I love love love my job? Let me take you back to where it all began. When I stopped being a child, when I stopped talking like a child, when I stopped thinking like a child, when I stopped reasoning like a child, when I put my childish ways behind me... OK, you get my point,
when I finished high school, my parents took to me to a certain university to do a course on youth discipleship. I didn't have a problem with it because, I mean... you can never go wrong with God. I did not put much thought into it but I have to tell you, that was one of the best things that has happened in my life.
It was during my time there that I got to fully decide to follow Christ with all my heart. It was a painful process but worth it, I come out stronger, having to get rid of so many things that used to give me 'pleasure'... having to start life a fresh because that is what happens when you get born again. Being born again means getting born again. 1 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!" *
After graduating from that course, being all fresh and crispy, ready to conquer the world with the skills and knowledge I had acquired from Bible school, I was given an opportunity to be part of the youth leadership at my church. Being a leader, I can, but in church, I didn't think that was my purpose from God. I would rather have a human boss than God being my boss, can you imagine!! Therefore, I chickened out because I felt that that was a very huge responsibility that I was not ready to take upon myself plus other factors. And that my friend is what you call a Jonah moment.
And we all know what happened to Jonah, if not, look for a Bible and then take a look at the book of Jonah. It's a very short story and I promise, it will take you a maximum of an hour to read, that's if you are a sloooooooow reader like me.
After I was done escaping, I continued on with my life and I temporarily forgot what that was all about until the other day when I was done with school. It is normal to look for a job after finishing school. Since I did not want to be left out and seem lazy, I entered the rat race. For some reason, I was not putting that much effort as my friends were/are or what the society expects me to. ( If my dad sees this, he will kill me because I made him get me internet so that I can tarmac online :-D )
In my quest for a job, my Friend who is a pastor asked me what I thought about ministry, not ministry of public works, but ministry for the Lord. Something funny, that morning before he called me up, as I was doing my morning jog, the thought of working in a church had randomly crossed my mind but I brushed it off because like before, I made myself believe that was not my purpose. I guess God was laughing at me knowing what was in store for me.
So, I asked him to give me time to think about it because this is HUGE. I tried to forget but it kept haunting me. I could not sleep. In that moment, I remembered listening to a talk show sometime back where a certain missionary was sharing a story of how one day she could not sleep for some reason and so, she decided to talk to God and after they were done conversing, she slept like a baby. Having heard that,I decided to try this thing out and see whether it would work, though I did not know what to say but when I started praying, I felt this peace in my heart.
I remember asking God if this opportunity is really from Him, He should show me. And He did. Have you ever heard someone tell you something and you wonder where that came from?? That happened to me, and after i realized what was happening, I knew that was from God. I guess it was time my Jonah moment caught up with me. Thank God I wasn't swallowed by a whale. Yikes!
As I write this, it's my second week as a youth ministry intern and I can tell you, I think I'll be here for a while. And so for those who will meet me and ask me what I am doing and why ministry, all I can say is that, I was given an opportunity to serve God and therefore I am working for my Lord #kingdombusiness.
In all this, I have come to realize that His ways are clearly not my ways and when He says that He knows what He's doing. He has it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for, HE WILL DO IT!! Now I understand why I was not in a hurry to look for a job because at some point I thought I was missing the chase and that its my laziness that had taken over my body, mind and soul. I would like to encourage you who is reading this, that when the Spirit of the Lord convicts you, listen to it and obey. You may ask how one would know, I assure you, you will know when it happens. There is joy in trusting and obeying the Lord. It comes with a good deal for life.
P.s I slept like a baby too,when I was done praying
*Amplified Bible
Lazizi
