David
Posted by Edward Karani , Monday, April 26, 2010 6:50 AM
Anne had not known David for more than two years, but he had been her friend for a lifetime. David, he was her David. They had said, men like David did not exist, but they did, he was a friend and he had loved her at all times. She did not have to be his girlfriend for him to treat her well; in short he was not a hypocrite like most Christian men that she knew. While the others filled up their plates with food, he was more concerned if every had gotten their share. He would let her or any other lady who did not have a sit to take his, as close friends, they had gone severally, and he would pay even if she was not his girlfriend. Meaningful relationships, he called them, he believed that friends, real friends and family needed to spend time together. The first time when David started coming to their church, two years back, soon they become very good friends. He had once taken her to Angel’s coffee house, a very expensive coffee house. It was not the fact that it was an expensive coffee house that mattered but because his only reason for taking her out was that he wanted them to catch up, and find out how she was doing. In those two years that she had known him, they had always kept in touch, she called him, he called her, and they emailed each other constantly. Before he travelled, he had promised that they would go out for coffee; he was like that with all his friends and family.
He really loved his family and the people in his life, he treasured every moment. Honestly speaking she could not remember a time that she had been angry with him for any particular reason. David was bold, when a man in their church had taken on a second wife and the church seemed to be less concerned about this change of events, he had also chased his first wife and children away, all because he had a lot of money and his offering usually consisted of three quarters of the total amount given on any particular Sunday. It was easy to know if Mr. Gitonga had come to church the offering usually shot from around 10,000 to almost half a million She remembered joking about that to David.
He had gone to the senior Pastor and told him, keeping quiet was not the solution and that just because, Mr. Gitonga was a rich Christian it did not exempt to the statutes of the bible and asked the pastor to take the appropriate action, and he did. Mr. Gitonga never came back to church, the council, went on a collision path with David, but the rest of the church stood with him.
“I did not come to this church because it was the perfect church I could find,” David had told her many times. “I may not agree with the basic precepts of this denomination. Because at the end of the day, I am a Christian, and that’s all that matters.”
“There are so many things wrong with the church today,” he often told her. “But I will build my church at the powers of hell shall not prevail against it.
There was Anne was seated on her bed reading his eulogy and crying her heart out. Why would God take David, a man after the very heart of God, he loved God so much that his eulogy was just filled with words of how much he loved God. A Christian who stood for everything he believed in, and was not deterred by anything and everything. His heart for God made him love people with that same love. A smile always lit in his face, and unlike all the funerals that she had attended, this was the most difficult, because it was someone she loved and cared for. His eulogy was not forcing words, like he was a good boy, it truly stated his life as it were, at times it made her laugh, when it said that his favorite program was Inspecta Mwala, other parts made her cry, especially when she remembered that he had died suddenly in a road accident, and how he had given his life wholly.
The one thing that he had taught her was not to be a Sunday Christian, the one that is only concerned about others on Sunday, “how was your week” kind of Sunday Christian, he loved at all times. At times she did not understand God, why would He take a young man who loved him so much and was only committed to him, the night David died, she took her bible looking for the verses that could explain why he was gone. The David that she could easily talk to about things that bothered her, the one in the third year of her stay in campus asked her to set her goals, follow the dreams that God placed in her heart. He constantly reminded her that she only a step away from victory.
The thing that struck her about David is that even if he was from a rich family, he did not dress like it; he did not talk like it, though he was a very handsome twenty six year old young man. It was David that had made her realize that the value of a man is better determined by the heart not by his money or his looks. During the memorial service, she realized that most of the people were crying because they would miss him so much, they were no regrets in their hearts, but questions of why God would take such a young man, who had a pure heart, heart one Anne was looking for, who would spare time to spend time with his family and friends, cook for them, take them out without wanting anything in return. Who despite having a problem with his ‘r’ and ‘l’ could not help but keep on talking. He made her laugh her heart out; he was humble and full of confidence, how he attained that balanced never ceased to amaze.
He had gone to Mombasa on a relief mission to help some of the hunger stricken people in that province, they had been no missions in their church until David came, he had been on so many, and it was on his way from such that he died.
Anne went on crying, “I will not praise you in this storm Lord, why David, there are so many wicked people you could have taken, I could even have given you some suggestions,”
She could get it.
“David, loved you with a pure heart, why Lord? Why? father so many fake preachers, spreading false teachings about you, and you could only take David, whose mission was to make the whole world know you, and help the poor,”
She was now shouting, she felt angry at God. During the memorial service, as she viewed his body she could not help but notice the bruises on his face, she knew it was a bad accident; there had been very few survivors, after David’s bus rammed into an oncoming trailer. Tears filled her eyes again, something in her heart made her want to scream.
“Ah, Lord, David,” she still could not get, but who has ever gotten it. “Lord, David, my David, my friend David.”
Her older sister had noted the dedication that David had, even though they had only met once, she travelled for the funeral and was crying too. Not only her, others had only had about this great young man and they came for the funeral. Previously she had mocked Anne about hooking up with David, Anne had entertained her, David, was definitely the Ephesians 5: 25-32 husband material, the one who would love his wife forever, and would easily have given his life for her, over and over again. But the one thing that David would remain forever was her friend.
“Lord, I David would have made the sort of husband every woman deserves,” she cried. “he was only twenty six.”
“I don’t understand!” she was now at the point where the next time she opened her mouth again she would scream. She stood up, and tried to compose herself.
“Why Lord? “She said in between clenched teeth. “Why David, why now, there was so much he had planned to do. She turned to look at the window. “For you,”
“I don’t understand,” she repeated and sat down on her bed. “Why David? I don’t understand.”
The next couple of minutes, only sobs could be heard.
“Help me understand, Lord,” she wept. “In a country full of corrupt politicians, you should have taken one of them, why Lord, why?”
She got out of bed, still crying and got into the covers, she covered so that she could cry herself to sleep. It was not forth coming, she took her bible and opened Hebrews 12: 1, she read it, and thought about it for a while.
“You are now among the great crowd of witnesses that surround me David,”
She laughed in the midst of all her tears. David loved this verse.
“Would you believe that Akina Paul, Peter, and Stephen, “he would say with a glitter in his eyes, It was had not to notice, the excitement they shone. “Lined up on each side, and I can picture them saying, you can do it, you go David.”
She smiled as she reached out for a t-shirt to blow her nose in. That cloud of witnesses must have been pleased to see him. She could not help but wonder what it was like, now he was part of the great cloud of witnesses that surrounded her. She moved on to the book of 1st Corinthians, chapter 15. She felt that because Christ had resurrected, then she would also see David again. And this time it would be forever, she realized that there was so much of Christ in David, and very little of him, just like Enoch, David had walked with God until he was no more.
She would miss him terribly, a little bit composed she sat up and took the eulogy again and held it close to his chest.
“You have just gone ahead of me my friend,” Anne said. “ I don’t want to say goodbye,”
It was only in the memorial service as the body came in she had realized that, he was really gone, she had prayed for it to be a mistake and that he was alive but it was true, then as she viewed his body, she realized that as long she was on this earth, she would never see him again, and she could not believe it. Her friend was gone.
“But I have too,” she blew her nose again. “I will see you again.”
She wiped her tears away. “I know you are where you’ve always wanted to be.” The tears were back.
“But, this I am sure of, David,” she smiled. “Though I will not see you at church, or I will not get to hear your voice, or see your face again, or call you, or laugh with you, I have hope,”
She said that part with so much confidence.
“We will be together, and this time forever.” There’s a tone of finality in her voice. She began to pray.
“Lord, your word says, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. David loved you and I loved him so much, tell him to say hi to the saints for me, ask him if King David is as cute as the bible describes him.
She stopped and smiled, opened her eyes. “Tell him, whenever I think of him, I will always remember of his love for you. And that I will miss him, and he will always be in my heart, and remind him that he owes me a date, so I hope for his sake there are restaurants in heaven”
She smiled and opened the eulogy to his favorite song: Indescribable by Chris Tomlin. She began to sing it, with tears in her eyes, she still went on, at the top of her voice: -
“Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky and you know them by Name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God.”
The song would be in her heart forever. She slept hoping that on her first day in heaven it would be all about hugs of the people she had lost along the way.
In Loving Memory of Saint JOHN MUTUA YALLO “DAVID”
: One day only made the difference for me; your eyes spoke of a genuineness that I have never experienced in my life. God took the best, when he called you home.
Post a Comment