His expostulations have borne naught, however, largely because I’m still grappling with whether I will adorn it with ease, given its message, for lack of a better word. Oh, certainly, I admire the idea, and I have been giving two of those gentlemen quite a bit of thought (the young Oliech moves me naught).

Let’s start with Barrack, my cousin thrice removed from my aunt’s step-sister-in-law. Here in Kenya, with our love for the sensational and the peculiar, he’s become an absolute source of enchantment. In many people’s minds, an Obama presidency means an instant upshot in our lives – not only economically, but also the ease with which we can all travel to the United States (land of milk and honey) whenever we feel so inclined. In fact, we’re so passionate about this K’Ogello man that just last week, we deported some American author who’d dropped by to launch an anti-Obama book. We have truly become “The Obama Nation”. Yap, that’s what the book is called.

But our Messianic inclinations have just recently shifted to Obama. Didn’t the son of Odinga have half of us completely wrapped under his spell for most of last year? He and his brigade of five had us hanging onto their every utterance, waiting for ‘salvation’ as it were. They, and other opinion holders wiser than they are, called it the third liberation…if Odinga and his brigands got into State House, the convention went, why, all our problems would be solved! Just like they promised (that time alongside Kibaki, Ngilu and the late Wamalwa) in 2003.

No prize for guessing what will happen here in 2012 – we’ll easily find another demigod to adore and put trust in; and probably be disappointed, again. Why is it that we prefer, more often than not, to trust that in a fellow man lays the answer to our problems? The folly of this kind of thinking is highlighted in Scripture severally. It is inevitable, really, that if you make man your source, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. In fact, in some places, it goes even further to intimate that trusting in men is indeed the source of trouble. Jeremiah 17:5 is a tad scary in its finality on this matter:

This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.

Point is, I’m not interested in glorifying some magic “O” combination that is supposed to be the hope of the world, of Harambee Stars or of Kenya. That would be Jesus. He’s our only source of salvation, and the only one that deserves the resultant glory. And while we must not lose faith in humanity, we can surely heed the words of David in Psalm 118: 8, 9:

It is better to trust in the LORD, than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.

It really is better.

About The Author: George Oloo picks snippets from his own world and uses them to bring home life lessons.

Email (will not be published)

Name

Title

Comment
 remaining characters

Post