Happy New Year everyone..
Thank God we are still together, and you know why? It's because we still haven't done our assignments here on planet earth. Otherwise we would be long gone.
So, again, Happy New Year, 2017!
It's not wise to dwell in the past, no matter how good or bad it was. But allow me to tell you one of the greatest things I will forever be grateful for 2016. I met a mentor. And since I met him I have learnt a lot of things. So I thought I should share one of the things I learnt while having a conversation with my mentor on the last days of 2016.
We were talking about life and I guess he realized that I was still one of those people who talk about LIFE as a word instead of LIFE as a reality, a real thing. If you're one of those I assure you you're not alone. So he might have picked that from my words. I know him. He listens not only between the lines but I thing also WITHIN the lines. He said to me, "See, the object of life is to serve God and serve (God's) people". That means if you don't live your life as a SERVICE to God and to people then you're just existing - no matter who you are.
Think about that for a moment.
He went on to tell me, "See there'll be three surprises in heaven, one of them is when religious people MIGHT find people like Michael Jackson sitting in the middle of all the big fishes like Abraham, King David, Peter and Paul. That'll be quite a surprise, no?"
I thought, well YES!
What do YOU think?
Well if you do your research among strong professing people of religious beliefs of every kind on their view of heaven you can be certain they have a list of things you must do to get there. As a Christian myself I also did live my life as a religious person for a long time. And so I know what I'm talking about. If you ask a typical Christian or Moslem how to get to heaven you'll get your answer right away and if you only stick to THAT answer alone I'm telling you you may be well on your way to hell with your eyes wide open.
The object of life is to SERVE GOD AND TO SERVE PEOPLE. If you don't do that you have wasted your lifetime for nothing. Bora hata nyuki alizalisha asali wakati wa uhai wake! It doesn't really matter how many times you pray in a day or in a week or which days you worship God. I'm telling you THAT'S NOT THE WAY TO HEAVEN.
When I was in High School there was always a question asking you to COMPARE AND CONTRAST between things. So let's do the same with Michael Jackson for example. We can not be sure where he went for sure but let's just take an account on whether he LIVED or JUST EXISTED.
As I said the object of life is to make your life that of serving. Not to enrich yourself but to serve. I loved it when I heard that Bill Gates isn't planning to bestow his wealth on his children but on charitable causes. Can you imagine that? In other words he is telling his children Hey, my wealth is for service to other people. You've got a fairly good life already!
Do you have SUCH a heart towards other people? That you can work day and night for way too long and create so much wealth just for other people?
Is that what your life is about? Or are you like the many others trying to GET something from this earth, trying to build houses and buy cars and take em vacations and dine and wine in the finest places on the planet and then die, never having touched the lives of those that are struggling?
See one of my friends once asked me once "Why do you write so much stuff, you don't get tired"? What he didn't realize is that I'm doing God a service. I am serving God and his people. I'm trying to give back the little I have. I am trying to lift someone up and educate people. I'm trying to contribute something to life. I'm trying to LIVE and not just exist.
So, back to Michael Jackson. This is a guy who shook the music industry. He left his mark. He didn't just coast around he went all the way up and made all the money he could make through his talents and abilities which were GOD-GIVEN. He became not only famous but also RICH. It's what he did with the money that I want to share with you to challenge you to look at yourself and see if you are living or just existing.
Here's a short list for purposes of pondering on:
In 1984 he made $1.5 million from a Pepsi commercial. If you're here in Tanzania that's more than Tshs 3 billion in one commercial. And it is 1984 we are talking about. Most people weren't born yet. But wherever you are, a million and a half is really big money. Michael Jackson donated ALL OF IT to a BURN CENTRE FOR CHILDREN TRUST.
How would God feel?
In 1985 Michael Jackson wrote the famous song WE ARE THE WORLD with Lionel Richie and performed it the same year TO RAISE MONEY FOR AFRICA.
How would God feel?
1986 Michael Jackson set up the Michael Jackson N*gro College Fund to help fund the education of people of colour who were generally looked upon by whites.
How would God feel?
In 1989 he would give tickets to his show to underpinned children and donate proceeds from his show to CHILD HELP USA - the biggest charitable organization against child abuse, according to the #LookToTheStars Organization.
In 1992 Michael Jackson established the HEAD THE WORLD FOUNDATION. This one worked hard to airlift about 6 tones of supplies in Bosnia. Few people remember the BOSNIA WAR that followed the collapse of the former Yugoslavia and the Serbs backed by Slobodan Milosevic. I still remember my brother who used to ask me as a little boy: "UNAWAJUA WA-SERB WA BOSNIA"? (Do you know the Serbs of Bosnia?) obviously after hearing it over the news back in the village thanks to that small Panasonic "radio" back then. Then I would ask him NDO KINA NANI? (who are they)? And he'd try to explain things to my little curious mind. Well that was all for us. But much later when I was studying Law at the University I got to dig deep into that conflict and discover way more things than I thought there was to it.
But by that time, 1992, Michael Jackson would have 6 tons of supplies go to people affected by the same war my brother and I were trying to understand.
The same foundation provided education on the effects of drugs and alcohol and donated millions of dollars to less fortunate children.
How would God feel?
I once heard that he even attempted to buy the TABLE MOUNTAINS in Cape Town with the intent of having all the proceeds that would emanate from that unique tourist attraction go to help children in Soweto. And although this deal wouldn't go through but how would God feel?
I mean, beyond any of his imperfections. How would God feel? Would God feel like, 'yeah, that's the work of my hands trying to improve the situation', or would God feel like, 'oh I wonder why he isn't doing anything to help somebody else?'
You just guessed right!
And so.... how does God feel about how YOU and I spent our money in 2016? I'm sure God is NOT HAPPY WITH ME in that regard.
I don't know about you?
COMPARE AND CONTRAST. Remember?
So most of us have just been EXISTING for way too long. But as for me now I've started living. So I will write and speak so much until my fingers and vocal chords beg for mercy.
I want to change somebody's life.
I want to improve the situation before I go.
I want to be of service before my time is up.
I want to give more and more.
I may not have all the money now to donate to people suffer in Allepo or Burundi but what I have I will give it all. For that, ladies and gentlemen is the real OBJECT of life.
To give.
So make it your business to give the best that you have to give support, to give encouragement to give help to give support and as Les Brown once said, if that's what your life will be about, then it will all come back to you. So give it all. And perhaps God will look beyond your imperfections and eventually LEAD YOU TO HIM.
That's why religious people might be surprised to find people who didn't practice religion as much as they did in heaven. Because they don't bother themselves much to give their all to improve the situation. Prayer is the most powerful thing on earth. But if you don't do that which will improve the situation then you haven't lived a life of service but you've led a selfish and self-centered life of wanting a car and a house and children and vacations and nice food and drinks as if God took His time to create you to come down here and have fun and go.
Listen to me: The world is not a night club my friend.
Be responsible.
Semper Fi,
Andrea G. Muhozya
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,
East Africa.
+255788366511
www.andreamuhozya.blogspot.com
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