“Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light.” Matthew 17:1-9
“How will you measure your life?”
Your routine is clear cut: wake up early. Drive or find a way to the office. If you have kids to drop off at school, you do it. At the office, you do your best to win. At 5 pm, you pack thebags, and off you leave for home. You rush to pick the kids or meet friends to catch up. That is a typical routine for most people who live in the city.
Things are always changing. We are working hard looking for money to live decent lives. The journey of life is tricky. No one wants to travel the whole journey on the sidelines, in the ‘slum class’. The train of life is always moving. At each stopover, you need to upgrade to a better class – middle class. Every single day, you have a mountain before you: to climb or not.
On that mountain, Jesus made two statements of impending change. One could say that the transfiguration event prepared and helped the disciples survive the coming change. The transfiguration of Jesus on that mountain top in the presence of Peter, James and John prepared them for life’s changes. With change comes doubt.
In many companies, people are not usually afraid of change. They are worried about what happens to them after the change. The ability to community and provide clarity of the journey and the impact of change to all concerned, help reduce worry and several voices that tend to discourage us from trying something new.
For many of us, money is everything. Whether politics, family, education or career, our key driver is money: how to make a lot of it. In the process, we are bulldozing everything between us and money. We are afraid of any change because we don’t know how our incomes would turn out after the change. Politicians want to keep their positions because they are afraid if they don’t win, they could go back to the village and live not so great lives. That is what they have seen happen to their colleagues. Same thing at the workplace.
Jesus on that mountain top is preparing the trio for change. It is the best lesson – clarity of what will happen after the change.
In your life, whether you are climbing to a mountain top and are enjoying the spoils of your life, or you are in your evening days and are climbing down from the mountain top, the journey of life is the same – from ashes to ashes. However, you feed your body, it will become ashes! So, why the too much greed? Why not share with the rest? What is your life’s purpose?
You cannot be happy if you do not find happiness in your career. It does not matter how much money you earn, if you do not think beyond money rewards, you will not be fulfilled.
Clayton M. Christensen (RIP), et al wrote a groundbreaking book, “How will you measure your life?” Take a minute to reflect on this question: “How will [insert your name] measure my life?”
Now is the time to think beyond personal aspirations of living in a good house, driving a brand new car and having the largest ranch. You can have a good house but a miserable home – where the children and your partner live a prison-like life. A brand new car does not bring happiness. It is the people you drive within the car that makes a difference. You get the gist. A story is told of some rich man in Mbarara who died on the wheels of his Toyota V8, a new model. He got a heart attack just as he sat in the driver’s seat. He did not move. The head just bent and got supported by the steering wheel, thereby letting out a loud horn. This attracted passersby who noticed inactivity. When police arrived, they removed the body [referring to it] and placed it under the belly of the police van!
You must find a greater purpose for your life. It is not about money. As you look for the money, share some. Use your skills to support the community. Help out at the Church. Volunteer your time. If you can give a referral to someone, do it while you can.
I wish you a great Sunday which also doubles as Women’s Day and a happy Lent season. You have an opportunity to make the women in your life happy. Follow @mustaphamugisa for weekly book challenges.
To be inspired, visit mustaphabm3.sg-host.com. Bernabas Mustapha Mugisa is Mr. Strategy, the architect of #Mindspark.
