The art and heart of giving

Giving is the locus of life without which no one would be here. Consider how much parents give to raise a child from infantry to adulthood. This essentially means that giving and loving are siamese twins; deeply intertwined and difficult to separate. 

Parents give a lot to raise a child to adulthood

But not all giving is sparked by love. There's giving driven by selfish motives. Like a guy who bought a phone to a girl he 'loved' but when she turned down his sexual advances he demanded his gift back. 

Then there's quid pro quo giving; you give me I give you. This kind of giving is devoid of love; it's more like barter-trade. The politicians are the masters of this art of giving. It has even crept into some churches with 'men of God' insisting that God cannot work unless you "plant a seed" as if God's love is glaringly conditional.

How do you tell genuine giving? 

Well, if you give without telling the whole world, and if you don't complain to all and sundry about how you give to people who never appreciate, then you are giving from the heart. 

Giving with love involves a bit of sacrifice. Like the old widow who gave away the only two coins she had, you can be poor but still joyously and generously give from your little. 

Giving that reflects loving goes with excellence. When you decide to give somebody a shirt from your wardrobe, you don't pick the worn out, but one of your favourites just like the Biblical Abel offered the best lamb. 

Giving is easier caught than taught; everyone can learn to give. Giving that is not arty but hearty, giving of our free will, according to what we have, attracts great blessings: financial and other, so let's be generous givers.

Learning from sea eagles

I recently watched a documentary about sea eagles that left me amazed at how much we have to learn from the sheer strength, adaptability and determination of those carrion birds.

Cooperation:. Sea eagles pair up (male and female) and stick together for the rest of their lives. They make noise to one another to renew their bond and for over a month take turns to incubate their eggs. While one is doing that, the other goes hunting and so forth.

 Hardwork. A sea eagle needs about 500 grams of food daily to survive. So the pair work hard not only to provide for themselves but for their little ones as well. Fish, rabbits, deers, rats, and ducks comprise most of their balanced diet. They also work hard building their impressive nests using branches and dry grass on the inside. Sometimes the nests become so enormous that some trees are known to crash under their weight.

Cleanliness. They say cleanliness is next to godliness and sea eagles take that seriously. When they want to pooh, they do it away from the nest to keep it clean.

Wisdom. When it comes to raising their little ones, sea eagles play favourites but with strong reasons. They usually choose the one with the best chances of survival and a successful future in a tough world. The parents focus on that; feeding it well and ensuring it never lacks a thing. But after twelve weeks, the parents become less forthcoming with food in a bid to encourage it to explore the world. The youngster gets agitated and makes a lot of noise but is ignored. That's when it discovers its wings! As it learns to fly and hunt, the parents chip in with food but stop when satisfied that it's self-sifficient. 

Sea eagles might be ruthless killers and scavengers but we have a lot to learn from them especially in their devotion to one another, and in nurturing and passing on survival skills to their loved ones.

Suffering is good

The Easter holiday gave me an opportunity to think about the legacy of the man whose death and resurrection will be remembered forever. He was the son of the Creator of heaven and earth, the King of kings and the Lord of all. Yet He abandoned those comforts and lived an ordinary life; first helping  his father in the carpentry business, before joining Christian ministry in which He preached the gospel and performed fantastic miracles, culminating in his persecution on the cross and eventual resurrection after three cold days in the grave.

When the going gets tough the tough get going

It's an amazing story that inspires me a lot because of how it practically hammers home the point that lasting gain comes after much pain. There's no historical figure, no one whose legacy has endured who didn't go through a lot of pain. From the common names like Mandela, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, no one worth celebrating had it the easy way. In karate to be a master comes with overcoming a series of huddles and defeating the best before you can enjoy clout as a master. My favourite boxer, Muhammed Ali said he hated the rigors of training but maintained the discipline knowing the good life he would later live as a world champion. 

Apostle Paul who wrote much of the New Testament advised Romans to quit grumbling when they are hemmed in with trials, and rejoice instead because suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope which does not fail. This guy knew what he was talking about. Often he was imprisoned, flogged with the Jews' 39 lashes, and beaten with Roman rods. Once he was stoned and left for dead, he was shipwrecked; was always in danger from rivers, robbers and enemies of the gospel. He suffered hunger, thirst, cold, and sleepless nights as he toiled for the cause of the gospel. But he didn't give up and just like his master, Jesus. 

In the end we too will triumph if  we don't let hardships stop us from chasing our dreams.

A river of tears

The tears the big shots are shedding could fill a river! First it was former Vice President Gilbert Bukenya when he was arrested for being implicated in some financial scandal. His tear-ducts opened up and released a mighty 'storm'. It was amazing because no body could believe that a man who compares himself to the toughness of the mahogany could become that mushy when pushed to the wall.

A photo montage of Maj. Gen. Muntu crying

Amelia Kyambadde who as President Museveni's former private secretary wielded as much power as her tough boss, also cried when she met the real face of poverty at a primary school in Mpigi. The jiggers jutting out of children's cracked feet, the sore state of the school buildings and the hunger she saw staring back at her in the eyes of children were just too much for her. Tears popped from the corners of her lovely eyes and gushed down her beautiful face, and she was led away to wipe them and regain her composure before she addressed the pupils. 

Then there's Gen. David Sejusa who told us that he once lost his leg in the bush war and that had Dr. Kizza Besigye not fixed it back in time, he would be a one-legged officer. This was tough but he handled it like a man. Yet when he was recently arrested, the General was seen on television wiping away tears. Why? Because he was dumped into the same dungeon he was thrown into during Amin's reign of terror; Cell No. 4, which was then called the "Cell of No Return". 

And lately,  Major General Mugisha  wept live on TV over the state of affairs in Uganda. His tears reminded me of Jesus weeping over Zion, which He longed to protect like a hen covering its chicks but it could not let Him. Things are surely bad and as we celebrate Easter today, let's all shed tears of solidarity as we pray for our nation and the Lord God who cares about the tears of His suffering children will come to our rescue.

Where am I?

That's a question everybody reading this does better asking themselves again and again. Having a constant awareness of your current station in life rids you of the complacent bug and keeps you in  progression mode.

The reason some people are static is because they have ceased keeping tabs on where they want to go in life. You do that by constantly reviewing where you are because knowing where you are will provide that spark for your next move; it makes you realise you are not a complete article yet and must keep reaching out for greater heights. 

Know where you want to go and try your best to get there

It is said that there is no difference between those who are great and those who are not. They all have red blood and all don't like falling sick. What makes the great great is that they never thump their chests and say "I have arrived." Rather they figure out where they want to go next and channel all their energies into getting there.

Consider my friend Brenda. After acquiring an  undergraduate degree, Brenda had a moment of introspection that made her realise that she needed post-graduate qualifications as well. She started saving some money and when she had enough for first semester tuition she filed an application and got admitted. 

 "As soon as the forces of destiny realised I was determined to get a Masters degree they did everything to make my dream come true, otherwise I would not have managed to raise the rest of the fees," she recently told me. After a quiet spell she added, "Now I want to pursue a PhD and become a lecturer of Theology at a university and I know that dream will come true too."

I was with Brenda at Campus and easily connected with her because of the inspirational focus and drive that made her indifferent to anything that would not take her to where she wanted to go. She always knew where she was and where she wanted to go next.

The weapon of love

At the height of Idi Amin's reign of terror in the 1970s, Bishop Festo Kivengere was asked how he would react if he was handed a loaded pistol and Amin was sitting opposite him. He replied, "I would hand

the gun to the president and say: 'I think this is your weapon. It is not mine. My weapon is love.'" 

What a disarming answer. Amin was a nincompoop and beast who killed citizens like flies, including Archbishop Janani Luwum. Kivengere had run to exile fearing for his life. Yet here he was saying he would forgive the dictator instead of shooting him in head? 

You would think the then Bishop of Kigezi was being hypocritical, but no. He explained in his autobiography that he would instead be a phoney servant of the Lord to remain bitter and angry with Amin. Jesus died for him too just as He died for all sinners. And if Amin repented with a broken and contrite heart, Jesus would forgive and welcome him with open arms. So the Bishop had no business hating the brutal ruler. His business was to love and pray for him. 

This brings me to the current situation in Uganda. So much hatred and bitterness over the just concluded elections. Social media is aflame with anger. There's a call to arms. The establishment knows; that's why the army have filled our streets with peeping guns. Yet all this is needless. No need for fear, no need for guns, no need for bitterness to lodge in the heart and put us in bondage.

The heroism and triumphalism of men like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther Jr., and Nelson Mandela was cemented by their rejection of tit-for-tat. Instead they overcame evil by doing good. Festo Kivengere knew the potency of this. He wouldn't shoot Amin given chance because he knew the only weapon that can take one forward is not the weapon of revenge but the weapon of love.