Words of life

Most girls justify their rejection of 'poor' boys by saying: "No one eats words!" So they throw themselves at rich men who give them expensive material things but mistreat them, cheat on them and never appreciate their worth like a guy of easy means would. What these girls don't know is that sincere words of love and appreciation give far more joy and strength than an expensive meal with an expansive guy who doesn't genuinely love you. 

Even outside the context of love, a timely word of wisdom to a needy soul satisfies more than the best dish. As the wise king Solomon, said, "The lips of the righteous feed many" and as Isaiah 50:4 says, "The Lord God has given me the tongue of a disciple and of one who is learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to those who are weary." 

Words are so powerful that God ignored clay and spoke the world into existence instead! Personally I've received emails and social media inboxes from some of you readers appreciating the encouragements you receive from this column. Martin Luther Jr used words to rally the masses in the fight against racism and so were writers like Richard Wright. Pastors and motivational speakers use words to uplift sorrowing souls. Even in football the manager who knows how to inspire his players to bring out the best in them often wins far more than the best technical coach. 

Blessed is the person who has discovered how yummy divine words are; devouring them day and night. They will flow out of that person like a fountain from which the thirsty will have their fill of refreshment. One such person is my friend Robert Bake of World of Inspiration who is making a lot of money by feeding the masses on food for the soul --words that build and empower! As he once told me, "I am someone who devours words the way I would a buffet. In fact, if someone wants you to get stunted they will give you food. If they want you to prosper they will feed you with words of transformation. Words are the rods with which the wise catch fish."

The resurrection

A friend of mine said, "To leave a mark on this world you must not only refuse to conform to the status quo but you must also upset it." My mind raced to Jesus Christ who refused to bow down to the dictates of his times and literally turned the world upside down! 

As a young boy He sneaked away from his parents to attend to matters of more importance in church where He debated with elders and left them in awe of His knowledge and reasoning. As a minister He beat people up for turning a church into a marketplace. Those capitalists thought it was okay to conduct business anywhere but Jesus whipped them and overturned their merchandise for turning His Father's house into a den of thieves. 

Much, much later the Pharasees thought they had finished Jesus off by nailing Him on the cross but He bounced back with swag when He rose three days later after singlehandedly rolling away the gigantic stone they had covered the mouth of His grave with. "Why are you looking for the living among the dead," the angel of the Lord rhetorically asked those who were still believing death had finished Jesus. 

For me that's the most beautiful, the most significant line ever written: why are you looking for the living among the dead? It's a line that perfectly captures the resurrection life that ought to be the portion of every person. Life can sometimes pummel us; we are cast down, our families may abandon us in the hour of need and our best friends may deny and betray us as Peter and Judas Iscariot denied and betrayed Jesus. But listen; that's not the end. Being cast down is not tantamount to being destroyed, it is not being out! Jesus triumphed so that we could triumph too. As He told His disciples, in this world we shall suffer many tribulations, but when we hold on to courage; when we don't give up, when we keep pushing we shall not only overcome but we will as well leave a mark that will never be wiped away.

Boss's belly

The rich man of the village had an anthill of a belly. It jutted out with such unbelievable prominence that the pair of legs on which it patched would have caved in had he no extra 'leg' -- a mahogany walking stick without which he was helpless. 

His mansion nestled on top of a hill surrounded by stretches of fenced valleys on which pastured hundreds of his herds of exotic cattle and sheep. It was the only house with glass windows and a corrugated iron roof that could be seen gleaming from any spot in the village day and night.

 I was the boy that fed his dogs everyday after school and so I had the opportunity to watch him up close especially at 5pm when the incessant mooing of cows signalled milking time. Boss would recline heavily into the balcony sofa, a pipe in his mouth, and watch with eagle-alert eyes as the milkmen staggered in with buckets of milk.

After his Tata lorry left heaving with gigantic cans of milk, Boss would devour his dinner. I used to watch him hog himself on skewers of chicken and pastry pork washed down with mug after mug of beer which did little to satisfy my curiosity. I just wanted to know what was in Boss's belly. 

One of the milkmen said the secret of Boss's belly was "money and power", another said it was "a nicotine, chicken and beer belly" that Boss had, but I refused to believe that all that protrusion was caused by the chicken and beer.

One day my best friend Junior came running and said the old cleaner at her mother's clinic had told him Boss's belly was bursting with maggots that had nipped themselves fat on his excessive flab and multiplied to billions causing that grotesque bulge. I laughed incredulously saying Boss was no walking pit-latrine that maggots should indwell him. But Junior looked at me with sadness and added, "The old cleaner also said Boss doesn't have much time to live. The maggots in his belly will kill him soon."

Why we pick that 'uneducated' woman

They say if you marry an uneducated girl, what will you talk about with her? But most educated girls I've related with don't like to talk about things, rather they like to argue about things. Even a simple request like, "Honey, can you fix me a cup of tea" can spark a storm.

"If you want some tea, get off your lazy ass and fix it," they say without lifting their eyes off that telenovera or whatever  keeps today's 'liberated' lady glued to the small screen. Besides tv the other thing they care about most is visiting the beauty parlour, where they spend a lot of money enhancing their artificial beauty as if their creator did a poor job! 

But that girl you say is not my "class" on account of her not having gone beyond S.4 delights in serving me. Her  eyes shine like the moon when she kneels to serve me a cup of tea, and her face radiates at every sip I take.

Thrice or more a week you suggest that we eat out because you're too tired to cook or could it be that you don't want to spoil your nails by peeling matooke? Meanwhile that lady you call ignorant finds joy in fixing my favourite dish because she cares for her man more than she cares for her nails.

When I surprised her with a new dress she shed a tear of joy. But when I surprised you with a pair of shoes you complained that I should have consulted you first, you said you would have preferred a new phone instead. Your arrogance and insensitivity make me shudder.

Being with you is tumultuous like the waves pounding the sand. But that 'ignorant' girl listens to me and treats me like a king. She delights in loving and taking care of me as men ought to be loved and taken care of, why shouldn't I  reciprocate? Who wants to be stuck with an educated albeit quarrelsome lady when the one without books is tangibly calming like watching the serene waters of a river on a beautiful evening?