Ring, ring, ring… No pick.
Ring, ring, ring…
‘Hi Muthoni,’ the voice on the other side asked.
‘Hi Alex, I am good. How are you?’ I asked.
I met Alex in 2020 at a CMBC meeting at Impala Club courtesy of my friend (older woman I look up to) Janice Muchai. CMBC connects business and marketplace to Christ. With ministry teams located in over 100 countries, throughout all six continents, CBMC is uniquely positioned to influence business and professional leaders for Christ who can then influence others. It remains a movement of God transforming people through Christ to accomplish His will in the marketplace through prayer, evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development. I love the mandate and their work though I have not had much time away from my authors’ assignments to allow me engage more in CMBC. I hope to find an opportunity to get involved and support their mission in the future.
‘I am good, thanks for asking.’ Alex responded. ‘How is ministry work at CLC?’ He continued.
‘It’s been a stretch but we thank God.’ I responded . ‘There have been challenges, but we are grateful for the opportunity to serve.’ I continued with my face drawing an expression of wonder. ‘Where is this conversation going?’ I silently wondered.
‘How can I pray with or for you?’ Alex proded.
Mmmmh, I pondered, unsure of how to respond. Not because we did not have prayer requests but because the conversation was starting to sound weird. I was now sure he was going to ask me for money. Don’t judge. Who calls you to just ask how they can pray for you? This is the world we live in, where we doubt good deeds and well-meaning intentions. We think people have an angle in everything they do. Well… I reluctantly shared a few prayer points on what we were believing God for that day.
Immediately after, Alex wished me a lovely day and hang up. Say what? Confused and slightly taken aback, I stared at my phone in disbelief. Was that it? Did he really just call to ask about my prayer requests and then abruptly ended the conversation without asking for something for himself? It felt odd and left me wondering about his true intentions.
I lingered for a few minutes then called Alex back. I was not going to carry the wonder through the day. I needed some clarity and closure.
Ring, ring, ring…
When Alex answered, he sounded surprised to hear from me so soon. I explained that I was just seeking some clarification about our earlier conversation. Alex apologised for any confusion and assured me that his intentions were genuine and that he cared about my prayer requests.
I explained to him my amusement to have someone just call to ask for our prayer needs and nothing else. It’s at that moment he explained to me that he had a very rough business transaction the previous day that left him drained spiritually, emotionally and physically. He had tried to shake it off that morning but was unable to. Therefore, he applied his principle to focus on the needs of others now that his were in trouble. He was shifting the focus on his bad day to him being a source of joy and blessing to another person. In so doing, he could regain his sense of purpose for that day.
By shifting his focus to the needs of others, he hoped to find solace and renewed strength in serving someone else. He believed that by offering support and prayers for CLC (and probably others he called that day), he could redirect his energy towards positivity and find healing for himself as well. Wow! I was blown away by his principle, selflessness and dedication to others. Why should the two of us have a bad day if one of us could have a good day? Relieved, I thanked him for his explanation and felt so inspired as we ended the call on a positive note.
Today was a tough day for me – tougher than many others I’ve had. But now, with Alex’s principle of encouragement, I feel a glimmer of hope. This post is not about my bad day, it is about appreciating the men and women God used to give African Christian Authors a pleasant experience.
So, I take the opportunity to appreciate service providers, professionals and friends of CLC that made the 3rd ACABA Awards Gala a success. I take a moment to express my gratitude and send my heartfelt thanks to all.
Who can you thank today? Even if your day is not going well?
