Resurrection At 50.

Today marks the last week of my forties and with it the last article of my fourth decade. I never prepared or thought about this day when I started writing back in 2017. I just focused on the next week’s story. Article by article has accumulated into months and years of writing. And just like that we are here on the last Friday of my fourth decade around the sun.

Maybe the secret of consistency is not to look too far ahead but to focus on the immediate next step to take. This reminds me of my mountain climbing experience. The guide would often insist that we go step by step. When I reflect on my Kilimanjaro climb that’s what got us to the top. Sometimes I wanted to pick up the pace but my stubborn guide would refuse to let me pass. Now I thank him for if I were left to go at my excited pace I probably would not have got to Uhuru peak.

The same applied to my writing. When we start speedily we get exhausted quickly and vanish as fast as we came. I’ve seen that happen with folks who have a burning story to tell. They over-post their ideas and readers struggle to keep up with the content as it’s coming to them fast and furious. I know the feeling of excitement when we decide to share our thoughts with the world. Maybe we should pause and consider how we want to dish out our wisdom, at what speed, and for how long. I’m glad I stuck to the once-a-week frequency I started with. That said I do also realise that maybe some stories are just for a short time. No judgment folks. At this mid-life age, you do you.

As I mentioned last week my birthday falls on Easter Sunday. It’s the last day of this very important week for Christians. This has never happened before so there must be a reason. Easter is seen as the culmination of the life and mission of Christ. Last Sunday was Palm Sunday in remembrance of the day Christ entered Jerusalem riding on a colt (small donkey). Yaani that’s equivalent to a president arriving in a Vitz or Probox without escorts or security. A humble king He was.

Good Friday was the day he was crucified and died for the sins of mankind. On the third day, He rose again from the dead. Christ’s resurrection symbolizes victory over death and iniquity. We see it as someone taking over and paying a debt that we couldn’t pay on our own. And that’s why I like Sir God as he’s a God of second (and third and fourth) chances.

50 is also the year of jubilee. Biblically in the year of jubilee, every indebted person was released from that debt and was able to start over again. Their land was also returned to them. Mmmm, I’m wondering if my bank is aware of this clause. They are supposed to cancel my debts and set me free. Ebu I will call my manager and remind them hehe… The year of jubilee is also of rest. For me, I choose to see it as the decade where I will maximise my gift for impact but from a position of rest, where the things I want come to me.

Why is my 50^th birthday on Resurrection Sunday? Am I supposed to resurrect also into a new way of life or being? There must be a reason why Sir God decided to shift the dates to coincide with my birthday. Maybe it takes that much to get my attention hehe. I want to become humble like Christ in the next decade. There are fewer things more admirable than visible humility in a person, especially a leader.

I’m glad that I haven’t had to be crucified for the sins of another, although a version of that has taken place in my 40s. Being punished for the misdeeds of another. I’m sure to have lived this far most if not all of us have been unfairly judged or even executed in a sense for the misbehaviour of others. That’s just part of character development. In this life, we will have tribulations, but take heart for I have overcome the world, says Christ. It’s just part of the curriculum for the school of life. What we do with the unpleasant incidents is what will make the difference.

I’m happy to be associated with Sir God on this significant day toward his short life on earth (Jesus was here for 33 years only). I got my personal mission statement in my 40s thanks to the halftime process and program. I don’t see it changing much in my 50s as it’s still to use my gift to positively impact people’s lives and communities. My word for this year is Maximize. I want to maximise my gift for impact and income.

Christ spoke weighty words, centred on others and just in season and for a reason. Now that I’m becoming a mubaba (young version though) I desire that wisdom to speak when I must and watch and learn the rest of the time.

Folks allow me to thank you deeply for walking this journey with me. I didn’t know we would get this far but here we are. What began as a solo rant has gained momentum and many of you have passed by here and picked a nugget or two. If these musings have given you a slight bit of clarity on your journey then it’s been worth the typing. The 40s (and midlife) can be harsh and lonely so your company has been appreciated deeply over the years. We have shared a lot and learnt much along the way. Sometimes we have just allowed ourselves to chill in the place of nothingness and let time cook things.

I invite you humbly to come along with me to the fifth floor and let’s discover what is there. They say it gets lonelier at the top but this is the exception. We learn as we rise. Have a wonderful Good Friday and Easter break. Just don’t get crucified hehe..

FYI, that Kofia photo up there was the first photo of my first blog in March 2017. I find it a good way to end where we began.