Why I Honour My Father

…Papa is an embodiment of God’s undiluted grace and favour…

Last Saturday, I attended a burial ceremony of my friend’s 94 year old father.

As the speeches went on and on about how wonderful his life had been, I found myself reflecting on my own father’s past and present life. I actually wondered what speech I would give on his 100^th birth day, given the chance.

As I kept thinking about him, I picked my notebook and started to jot down whatever memory came to mind.

My father’s life is a demonstration of God’s undiluted grace and favour! Walking down memory lane, I saw God’s hand weaved in every step that papa took.

I saw a man of wisdom, purpose and focus! One of the first educated men of his century – a sought after medical practitioner, who rendered his services to thousands of patients in four countries, working confidently in different environments – in Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Uganda. He was a dedicated regional employee – how about that! He had Grit! He taught himself English and picked up different languages that were relevant for his survival. That is grace and favour right there!

I saw a man in his 30s, traumatized by the civil war in his country that saw him live in exile for most of his adult life but a man that, nevertheless, kept his focus. He had to make life happen. His philosophy was ‘work hard, make peace with God and man and invest in your children for posterity!’

I saw a man who picked a beautiful, intelligent and enterprising woman – a powerful strategy for success!

I saw a man that fathered fourteen human beings, a full quiver (though today we are eleven alive children). He was extremely brave and determination to educate and empower eleven girls, despite the then traditional challenging gender perceptions. His courageousness saw him successfully raise eleven teenage girls and two boys, helping them navigate that volatile adolescent stage. That was God’s grace and favour right there!

I saw an intelligent and philosophical person. To-date, he often asks probing questions that one has to take time to answer. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about history. He often tells us that one cannot fully understand or interpret scripture effectively without the knowledge of history. At first, I ignored those remarks until I became curious about scriptural interpretation. I then understood what he meant and I admitted to him that he was right all along.

I saw a man with values of integrity and punctuality. During Amin Dada’s era of magendo and corruption, when medical practitioners stole medical supplies to make extra funds, he maintained honesty. A man who is straightforward in his communication and who doesn’t believe in being politically correct.

I saw a man that was a gifted dancer. Even now, with his body becoming frail, he will be caught wiggling, supported by a stick, to the sound of music. He is jovial and bursts into a hearty laughter every now and again, sometimes in remembrance of something that happened years back or because of a baby nearby.

I saw a man that believes in a healthy life-style. He is sporty, minds what he eats and how much he sleeps. About two months ago, when I saw him, he was healthy and up and about.

I saw a fulfilled promise of a long life lived and I saw myself living that long too – why not! This is my heritage!

….you see….he is an embodiment of God’s grace, favour and power! That is why I Honour him!