Life is so unpredictable
By Innocent Jean Marie, Children / Youth Ministry Apprentice
When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a drummer because everyone in the church would tell me how good I was. I held onto that dream for a long time because that was the only thing I was good at then. I knew how to farm- grow each type of food on my grandpa's farm, but I always dreaded those days, and I did not want to be a farmer. My grandpa always worked long hours in the sun daily, which was not my dream. I went to school, but I would always be sent home because my grandpa sometimes couldn't pay my school fees. Even though I would go to school, I would always dread finishing it because, after school, I would have to help Grandpa on the farm. When I would go to school, I always got there pretty late and got punished by the teacher even though school was about 30 minutes away from where I lived.
School life was challenging. If you were late after the bell rang, you would have to get whooped and pick up trash around the school. I was a good kid, so I was in charge of my classroom, which meant if the teacher left, I had to discipline the kids until they got back. I grew up with my half-sister and grandparents for half my life; I knew my mom, but not that well. I used to call my grandparents "mom and dad," and I still do. I've never called my mom "mom." I call her "dada," which means sister in Swahili. I sometimes try to call her mom, but it's just weird, and the word doesn't come out of my mouth- it's just awkward.
I loved to watch movies growing up. I used to listen to my grandparents and do everything they told me, but I always broke the rules when it came to films. Back then, I wasn't allowed to leave the house. But I loved going to the neighbors, they had a small screen that required a CD to watch a movie, so I was always at their house window trying to sneak a peek through the blinds. Sometimes, they would ask me to fetch water for them so that I could watch a movie inside. For me, it was worth it. I would always go to fetch the water so excited even though it was 2-3 miles away, but I didn't mind the walk as long as I could watch my movie after.
If you forget everything I just said, I want you to remember that life has many unexpected things. God is going to come through. He has done it for me and will for you, too. You have to believe it. I went through a lot as a kid living in a refugee camp, worrying about when my next meal would be, that's what made me who I am today. God has always been working.
Our pain has a purpose. Hard times are often even more challenging when they feel pointless. But according to Paul in Romans 5: 3-5, the struggles we face have a significant purpose:
"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love”
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