Do you remember the days we used to accompany our parents to church? The friendly congregants who sat next to your mum; smile and do faces at you? Do you remember the memory verses we used to recite during Christmas? What about the kids who used to take the biscuits our parents bought us on our way to church? And do you remember how you used to stare at the choir members and tried to sing along with little or no success?
Those were the days’ going to church wasn’t a matter of bargain. You might wonder why am saying all this. I come from a Christian background. Taking a brief look at me now and comparing to then, a lot has changed. Should I attribute these changes to time, age, stage or a person? This is the question that bothers me.
Every community has its own beliefs, values and guiding principles. I find it easy to adapt in a community where we have certain significant similarities. Having said this: I don’t mean it’s hard to adapt in those without similarities because I have not found myself in such a setting.
…to be a distinguished, Christian-Centred, African Institution of Higher Learning for the transformation of Church and Society. If you come from or have gone through the community am now residing, you might have heard or come across this statement in one way or another.
If you haven’t, I think this will help refresh your memory: To develop managers, Professionals, Scholar and Researchers to be effective Christian Servant Leaders through the integration of Christian Faith and Holistic Learning for the transformation of Church and Society.
This is the statement of faith that I suppose guides a number of us through our day to day life within the community I currently reside in. When I joined this community, I had already created images about it. I had my expectations right under my nose and like a judge I placed myself on the throne. The word chapel is synonymous with spiritual discipline within this community. I remember one day a friend of mine over lunch brought the issue of chapel attendance to our attention. He was of the opinion that the Institution should make chapel attendance optional or scrap off midweek services. The kind of support he got from my other friends, made me hold back my comment to avoid losing my appetite.
Talking about chapel, I am expected to attend services at least twice a week for spiritual nourishment. I find it necessary for my faith in order to remain on course. I guess the problem I have nowadays is laziness. I find myself looking for excuses not to attend chapel sessions. I remember the days when I was a freshman I hardly missed chapel. I was always punctual and I participated in majority of the events organised by the Daystar Christian Fellowship.
According to Nkhoma, my classmate, Daystar University students know the University’s stand on faith but deliberately refuse to follow it. Being young, wanting to rebel is one of the reasons that he attributed to these. “Some of the students are devoted to their faith and they came here because they wanted to be in a Christian environment. But others just came here because wanted to be in a university.”
“My faith is based on the relationship between me and my saviour; am a born again Christian. I read the bible and fellowship with other believers. I don’t believe we should be forced to attend chapel. So, when I came to Daystar I didn’t know we had to go to chapel. The first semester I attended every chapel but immediately I found out that I was being forced to attend rather than being internally compelled, so I stopped. We don’t have to go to chapel to prove we are Christians.”
I remember after joining Daystar in my first semester of study, I encountered financial difficulty, I suppose my parents had not planned adequately for my return into the new semester. So, my school fee was not ready after the first week into the semester. My account had started attracting fines each day I failed to register. During that time if a student failed to register within the first three days into the start of the semester, it attracted a fine each day due. If there was ever a prayerful time for me in Daystar, then that was it.
Have you ever found yourself in a tight situation where you felt you needed help straight from above? Or you just wished for a hand to come from above and embrace you relax? I believe in God just like my friends do but I seriously call on his name when I am in trouble. In trouble I become so prayerful. Granted this is a weakness.
Joyadams Munene believes that faith is more of a practical thing than theoretical. “Leadership starts from above; we always watch what the administration is doing. If for example they fail in their part to exercise Christian faith in their actions, the students will follow suit. No matter how much they remind us of our statement of faith”.
The times I have spent in this community, God has always been in the forefront. Whenever we are travelling for a school event we open with a word of prayer before commencing the journey and upon arrival we close with prayer. I have also noted that majority of the students send prayer requests when in need. And for thanks giving, who does that?It has come to my realization that the issue of faith starts with me. It is a journey. Before I look at what my neighbour does, I have to look at myself as a person. Evaluate myself with the yardstick that I use to evaluate others. If I may ask, is there any standard way of looking at things for me to make my judgment? Who came up with this idea of, this is the proper way for a Christian to behave?
I have always been biased in my judgments. I treat myself so charitably in comparison to how I treat others. Why shouldn’t I become the good-good example to others? I wish I could go back to the days, when I was a child. The days I never used to question much and give excuses to my deeds. The days I would not complain about sermons. The days I enjoyed going to church. Can someone please tell me what is happening to me? Did I lose my track somewhere along the way? I’ll always strive to trace my former ways and trod onto the ancient path that seems forgotten. As the saying goes, “On a long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; and it is the greatest property.”
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