Friday, October 18, 2013

Assignment series-Conclusion

Dear friends,

I have had some awesome conversations in the past month as a result of this series. I am moved by what people have begun to do as a result of their seeking to fulfil the mandate they have here on earth. Being practical is the best and I encourage you to pay your rent on earth as it were!

I was battling on how to conclude this because as someone who realized his purpose and managed to start working at it at an early age, I always want to urge others to find fulfilment, joy and happiness in fulfilling their own purpose. Remember we all have different tasks that were set for us to accomplish. I will lean heavily on the Word of God in my conclusion. We were chosen by God before we were formed. The Lord made us and shaped us into the people we are. He knows our behaviour, our strengths, weaknesses, capabilities and our character. These unique personalities that we have should be used to achieve a specific purpose. God is going to use us for the fulfilment of His plan. Think for a moment when you try to be like someone . If you try to be someone else you then want to be a carbon copy of what is already in existence, in fact God doesn’t need you as someone else! You are trying to be a piece of the puzzle that God already has! So stop trying to be like someone, be you and fit into the puzzle the way God wants you to. You were made in a precise manner, for a specific purpose and only you will serve that purpose. When God made you, He wanted you, when He chose you, He wanted you!

So in conclusion, the understanding that I have no doubts about is that we all have been chosen as God’s treasure and for His purpose. Our destiny can be discovered and lived out as we walk in harmony with God our creator. Thus we can only know the true reason for our existence when we are close to Him and we allow Him to direct our path.

As the year comes to an end, I hope you have been on that path of living a life fulfilling your purpose? How have you been paying your rent of being on earth?

Until next time,

Patrick

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.
-Winston Churchill

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The Assignment series 2

Dear friends,

I hope this finds you all well. Well I was offline a bit pressure of work and other commitments related to my own life assignment! I am trusting that this second installment is finding you well on course to discover your purpose and reason for existence on this beautiful planet of ours. As they say, an apple does not fall far away from its tree and I would like to use that to make reference to the fact that your purpose lies inherently within you and it should be a struggle to find your passion and that will lead you to the reason for your very presence.

Friends, we are not passengers on a bus enjoying a free ride. To each one of us an account of how we spent our lives and time on earth will be demanded. How are you paying your rent? In other words how are you paying for your time on earth? My friends have always laughed when I ask them that question suffice to say that many of them have began to be engaged productively in giving back to communities in various ways. Some are donating books and library equipment to their former schools, some are paying school fees for the less privileged whilst some are putting aside time to mentor young men and women. What are you doing? I have grown to realize that the best gift to a person is not very expensive and does not need to be bought! Now that's really pushing it isn't it? Consider this, spending two hours mentoring a young person on life and different issues they will face as they grow older is a gift to that young person. Or spending one hour at your former school assessing the needs and finding gaps to assist is a gift to that school. Come on now, we all have a gift to give! We need to reach out to our communities with the little we have and make a difference through the same. What is your assignment?

Over the years I have been intrigued and fascinated by how my own world view has been shaped.Your  don't need to have a million bucks to change some circumstances. Just your heart and mind being in the right place is the million bucks you need. There is so much suffering in the world that is not necessary. Localizing this, there is so much suffering in Zimbabwe that is unwarranted. People have grown to be selfish each day...instead of looking out for the welfare of our neighbor, relative or friend we have grown accustomed to just thinking and looking out for our needs more than anything else. Anything to bring in the next dollar is all that people have been concerned about particularly in thin country. The past two days I was reflecting on how our traditional safety nets for the care and protection of the weakest and most vulnerable amongst us have been destroyed. How it was so easy in decades gone by to have a communal land holding that would be farmed by everyone in that community and the harvest channeled to the vulnerable members of that community. What happened?  Have we grown to be so sophisticated and complicated that we fail to respect and respond to the needs of others?

I am almost at a stage where I can pick up a second assignment....maybe I would work to revitalize these safety nets and bring back the glory of the lost decades where it would be impossible to find a poor person or even an "orphan" in a community. Hmmmm sounds like a big enough challenge!
Since the good people are doing nothing, the perpetuation of the poverty cycle in our country and beyond continues.

I am thoroughly blessed by the feedback and responses I have received on issues raised in the blogs and I am encouraged by the fact that these are starting some small fires that hopefully will lead into bigger conversations and actions. Gone are the days of folding hands and not doing anything because you think you are not qualified enough or don't have the material or financial resources. Remember God does not call the qualified but He qualifies the called! Be a willing vessel and reach out.

Have a super week friends,

Until next time,

Patrick

" A thousand years from today I don't want to be known for the cars, houses or the size  of my bank accounts but I want to be known for the difference I would have made in my time" 
Patrick Makokoro 2008