What is the basis of your relationships?

On Wednesday 18th April 2018, I received a WhatsApp message from a friend. It had been 5 weeks since we last talked. Here is the message, “Can I be your profile picture just for today and tomorrow. Forward this to all your contacts and see how many will make you their profile picture. Do not send back this to the person who asked me that’s why my d.p (profile picture) changed. Let’s see how much my love/friendship is worthwhile for you. Its a dare. Don’t be shy, if you don’t have my picture ask and I’ll send it to you.” I responded, “things don’t work like this.” I didn’t change my profile picture either. However, I kept thinking about the person who came up with that message. I could not figure out what he/she was thinking.

While still chewing on the message, again on 21st April 2018, I received the exact message from another friend. I responded the same way, “friendship does not work this way.” She smiled and said, “that’s being mean.”. I wrote to her again that its being realistic, why would you base your relationship or friendship with a person on just being on their WhatsApp profile picture?.

So many questions popped up. How will this friend of mine be sure that I am doing it out of will or just to make her happy? Will that give her the measure of my friendship? Why would she even rate a relationship to just a WhatsApp profile picture? Do you have to first ask someone to put you as their WhatsApp profile picture for you to know that they love or care about you so much? And if I happen not to put you as my profile picture, will the friendship end?.

I think we have forgot the basics or roots and now the focus is on the fruits. I believe by the time, a person chooses to put you as a profile picture, there has to be motivation. Stuff just doesn’t happen out of the blue. Something must have happened in the private room. Again why would you lower your relationship with a person to a level of just being on his/her WhatsApp profile picture. There is more that needs to be done than just being on a profile picture.

Of what use will it be for you to be on my WhatsApp profile picture yet when you are stuck or in a difficult situation, I am no where to be seen. Say may be you are sick, I don’t appear or even bother to find out how you are. Of what use will it be for you to be on my profile picture yet when you need just 2,000/= for transport, I can not give it to you.

We need to go back to the basics. Relationships are built. It takes time and effort.

What are you choosing to do to have strong and relevant relationships? Food for thought

Freedom from Fear

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ⁹ And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; ¹⁰ come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” ¹¹ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. ¹² But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. Exodus 1:8-12 NKJV

When God is on your side, there is no enemy’s scheme that can prevail over you. The children of Israel lived, served and died in the bonds of slavery under Pharaoh. First, they were guided by God into Egypt to escape 7 years of famine. And now they became slaves. God allowed it to happen and the other reason is the fear of man. The new king who did not know Joseph did not know Joseph’s God either. The rate at which the Israelite were multiplying terrified Pharaoh. He was ignorant about the cause of the multiplication. He was fighting from ignorance. It is very important for us as Christians to know the root of every circumstance. That way its easy to overcome.

And when he saw that the Hebrews had grown to a number greater than the Egyptians, he became afraid. Pharaoh was afraid of losing the power that he had as ruler of Egypt.  Most of the powerful people in the world are just like this Pharaoh. They are not courageous, noble, honest, or kind. But they are fearful men whose lives are filled with paranoia about loosing the worthless power which they possess. Pharaoh was ignorant of Joseph’s faith in God. He was fighting from the flesh which didn’t yield any result. The more he afflicted them, the more the Israelite multiplied and also grew. We either have faith in God or life plagued by some kind of fear. Jesus said in Mark chapter 5:36, “be not afraid, only believe.” The fears of this ruler of Egypt turned him into a weak and wicked man who stole the life of thousands upon thousands of innocent people.  Your fears may not put a nation into slavery. But your fears will steal your freedom; the freedom to live life to way God created life to be, a wonderful fellowship with Him where the temporary things of this life are enjoyed instead of the loss of such temporary things being a fear that imprisons you.

Also the midwives Pharaoh had commanded to kill all the new born baby boys  did not obey because they feared God. I relate fear in this context, to having knowledge of who God was. Because of their act, God dealt well with them and provided households for them. We also need to grow in the knowledge of God so that we are not easily taken up or follow every word or instruction given to us. In addition, we need to grown in the knowledge of God whereby someone’s progress or multiplication does not become a stumbling block but instead be aware of our destinies God has already prepared for us.