A couple of weeks ago I had an interesting eaves - dropping adventure in a Jav to tao. Btw...it's not that I intentionally eaves dropped, but it is virtually impossible to ignore "moto moto muhahe" when it is being discussed in high pitched voices in a quiet jav :P!! I kept wondering whether they were aware that everyone's attention was drawn to their discussions or if the muhahe was too juicy to care if it drew the curiosity of the rest of the passengers. When it got TMI, I quickly fished for my headphones, plugged them in and cranked the volume.
I have no intention of transcribing the muhahe here, so I'll just give a snippet of the rant-fest and why it birthed a blogpost. The ladies were ranting of how one of their pals was in a desperate situation and hounded them day & night to lend a helping hand and once they offered their help and she had stuff sorted out, they got kicked to the kerb. Seems the former damsel in distress burnt the bridge that got her across the river with no apologies. They couldn't understand why she couldn't even "rudisha mkono" {give a token of appreciation}. Needless to say, they were planning an "intervention" ASAP to put her in her place - this was going to be one explosive intervention; judging by the series of 'F'rench words that were flying around describing her behavior.
As we were approaching tao, the new jam by Christina Shusho & Ringtone started playing as if instinctively nudging me to give these young ladies that tiny piece of advice - Tenda Wema Nenda Zako. For fear of being stoned, I dismissed that inner voice {I love me my life}. Anyway, it was basically NOMB. As the jav packed I quickly alighted but made a mental note to blog about it. Enjoy the jam before we go on.
Tenda wema nenda zako we,
Usisahau Mungu anaona
Siku ya kukumbukwa iko, Yeye atakulipa,
Tenda wema nenda zako we,
Usisahau Mungu anaona
Siku ya kukumbukwa itafika
I don't know how many of us find ourselves in such situations. Someone desperately needs your help and out of empathy you help them sort out whatever mess it is they were dealing with and once they are good to go they forget where they were coming from & who helped them. In some instances they might even treat you badly. Or better still, how many times have you helped someone expecting a favor in return? It is very common to hold on to an You Owe Me just because you did someone a favor. Walking around flashing our YOMs is a lot of work, how about we just learn how to Tenda Wema na tuende zetu. Give & offer help without expecting anything in return.
Something to ponder on:
- Would you give of your time and services to a person/s you know could never repay you?
- Would you go out of way to lend a helping hand even when you know it would drain you to your last strength & coin with no tangible returns?
- Would you willingly help without grumbling?
- Would you be willing to tenda wema and not hold an YOM?
Having the Bible as our manual is paramount, how about I finish with a few nuggets from it.
Luke
6:35 "But [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your
enemies, and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return; for your
reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most
High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful
and the wicked"