IT’S A WORTHY INVESTMENT

There has been a lot of talk concerning investing your hard earned money. Many Kenyans are now moving from merely saving some money for a rainy day to investing their monies for their retirement. Gone are the days that we only invested by saving in our cooperative saccos and in buying land or mortgages. Now with more information people are investing in the stock market, in real estate and in some off shore trading.

For more on this you can talk to the experts. I don’t purport to be one though I would greatly encourage you to invest not just save your money. One of my greatest passions is investing in people. We are to invest our resources and human beings, people, are a far greater resource than money. Last Saturday, my wife and I were greatly honored by a group of people that we have invested our lives in for the past several years.

We have seen these people grow from literally nothing to something. We have seen them grow from rags to riches, we have seen them grow from a people in debt to a people who are now lending others, from a people who were almost killing each other in their marriages to a people who are now working together as a team in their marriage; from a people who were hiding like Saul behind their “baggage” to some of the greatest leaders in the Church; from people who were almost giving up hope in life to a people who are now motivating others and giving them hope; from a people who walked for 17 kms to church because they couldn’t  afford bus fare to a people who are now driving a SUV.

That has been our greatest investment and I can tell you the rewards are great. Sitting there looking at all these great men and women who are now impacting the lives of many others, made us feel like proud parents. It gave us a sense of accomplishment, a sense of fulfillment and significance. For us this was worth it all not to mention the many words of praise that they had for us. Sharing how much we had impacted and imparted their lives made us feel so humbled yet so honored.

All that coupled with the many wonderful gifts they showered us with together with our children just crowned our year. To us indeed, Christmas came early and from the bottom of our hearts we want to appreciate our “cell”, we love you guys and thank God for the privilege He gave us in investing into your lives. Who do you think we are going to be proud of when our Master Jesus appears if it’s not you? You are our pride and joy. What a legacy we have left behind. 

These words from the scriptures came alive one more time to us during our time together with these leaders this past weekend, 

“God is not unjust He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and do continue to help them.” –Hebrews 6:10.

Who or in what are you investing your life in?

FRUSTRATION CAN BE YOUR FRIEND

Frustrations have been cited for the reason many have quit they jobs, changed their teams or even sort marital counseling. Frustrations have been viewed by many to be something very negative and bad yet what many do not understand is that frustrations can be something good.

According to Wikipedia, frustration is a common emotional response to opposition related to anger and disappointment. It arises from perceived resistance to the fulfillment of individual will. The greater the obstruction, and the greater the will, the more frustration is likely to be. Frustrations may arise from internal conflicts such as challenges in fulfilling personal goals and desires or may be caused by external forces such as a blocked road or a difficult task.

Frustration can be considered a problem-response behavior. We can chose to either respond or react when frustrated. In reacting one may react with anger and attack or behave irrationally causing more damage not only to others but to self. On the other hand one may chose to respond with rational problem-solving methods to overcome the barrier. Remember that it is not what happens to you but rather what happens in you that matters in life.

In a negative way, the frustrated individual may perceive the source of frustration to be outside of their control and thus the frustration will continue to build leading eventually to further problematic behavior e.g. violence or even depression. On the positive side, this frustration will build until a level that is too great for the individual to contend with, and thus produce action directed at solving the inherent problem.

Many successful people have handled frustration in the positive way. When they have let their frustration produce action directed at solving the inherent problem they have become famous. Isaac Newton was frustrated to some extend by the fact that the apple from the tree fell down instead of going up and thus discovered the law of gravity. There are those like Martin Luther who were frustrated by the religious regiment of their time and thus began reading the bible for himself and viola came the revival that would forever change the history of the church. Paul at one point was frustrated too by this demon that was in the girl who kept following him and his team that he ended up casting it out.

Someone has said that money will come to you as a result of solving people’s problems. Most of these problems start as frustrations in our own lives and then when we respond rather than react to that frustration, they begin to do something that will solve that problem. 

In his book The Road Less Traveled, Scott Peck states that “We can learn from the struggles (frustrations) when we discover that it is in this whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between success and failure”.  No wonder James in his letter in the Bible states:

“When various trials and tribulations crowd into your life, don’t treat them as intruders but welcome them as friends!” (James 1:2, Philips translation)

So welcome frustration as your friend.

THE POWER OF DESPERATION

The word Desperate, means to be filled with despair and ready to do anything, regardless of danger, tried when all else has failed. The word has been viewed many times as being very negative, but it also has a positive side to it.

Desperation is what drives people to do certain things whether good or bad. When some ladies get desperate, realize that their age is going over the hill they will do anything including allowing themselves to become pregnant to get the man commit to them in marriage. A man will settle for any job even if it is giving him peanuts to survive and at least say he is doing something or working somewhere. Desperation is what will make someone pilferage money from his work place to pay for his ailing Mother’s hospitalization. They say desperate times call for desperate measures.

But desperation can also make one get to their destiny, accomplish a major goal or make the necessary change that is so vital for their growth. In the Bible we read of a woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years- a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before. She was desperate, she was hungry for a miracle and so when she saw Jesus passing by, she thought to herself, “if only I could touch the hem of His garment I would be made whole”. With that she moved into action and got her healing.

Now what many of us don’t understand is that for this woman, being, one a woman, and two with her condition, she was considered unclean and was not supposed to touch any man.  For her this was a major risk because if caught she was to be stoned to death. That’s why when Jesus asked “who touched me” she was so scared. Her desperation drove her to the point of daring, risking death, ready to do anything even that which was prohibited by law in order to get what she so badly wanted, her healing.

It’s not what you want but how badly you want it that matters. How hungry are you for success? More than a dream, more than a desire you need to get desperate. Desperation is more powerful than your dream and desire. If desire is the fuel to your dreams, desperation is the wheels that put you to action. Like the Caltex advertisement used to ask, “What drives you?”

“Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is”. – Vince Lombardi