Respite

Written by On Thursday, 23 August 2018 16:55
Respite

I just finished reading halfwits a novel authored by Gerard E. Goggins. My friend and I got it from one of the book vendors on Tom Mboya Street. Well, the correct recollection of the purchase event is that I pulled it from the book pile and my friend paid a lump sum of Kes 50 for me to keep it hehe. Truthfully the price felt a little insulting to the work. To deal with this new problem we agreed to share the story of the halfwits with as many people as possible.

The narrative revolves around John Fitzsimmons who works at TPI (Therapy products Inc.). TPI is a small plant with about 200 employees. The title halfwits is largely a refence to the humans in the book who are cruel, mean and generally well, humans.  Fitzsimmons doubles up as sweeper and a night watchman at TPI. On first contact he comes across as a regular Joe. A few chapters in i learned that Fitzsimmons having lost his family in a gruesome murder had moved cities to get away and start afresh.

Fitzsimmons has this colleague who keeps taunting him to confront evil (in this case seek revenge for his loss). In this colleague’s effort to push Fitzsimmons into action he ends up inflicting more pain to Fitzsimmons. The book has a happy ending though, good triumphs over evil.

In my mind’s eye I kept hoping that Fitzsimmons would catch a break. A huge break, a break as great as Job’s as recorded at the end of the book. On somedays i expect a Job like turn around, you know the big turnaround that will silence the naysayers once and for all. In the end I get it all though not necessarily in the way I had planned.

Say, I am an employee at firm X and I am unhappy. I work faithfully towards this promotion that seems elusive. I pray about it and leave it to God.

Somewhere along the way I decide to quit and set up my own practice. I venture fully out hoping that God will get the hint hehe. I land clients, a cocktail of good and difficult ones.

On somedays a few of my clients don’t settle their bills as agreed, on other days I land clients who pay upfront.

I have one employee who doubles as a receptionist/secretary/messenger. There are days she opts to work through her lunch break and there are days she leaves the office early to run a personal errand. On some days she comes to work pulsating with motivation and there are days she just isn’t in a talking mood.

All of this might look like am not catching a break while the truth that in this process am Learning responsibility; to take charge of not just myself but an employee. I am learning the ropes to private practice albeit not the easy way. I am honing the skill of negotiation even for almost mundane stuff like garbage collection (because in my calculation we can dispose our own garbage and save on the fees hehe).

I am coming to a new understanding of what it means to encourage myself when I have to a long list of debtors and an even longer list of bills to settle.

 Ezekiel 36: 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart’ stands out clearly when I encounter a client who was bent on revenge take the high road of forgiveness though it does little to help my weak cash flow.

It will not be as I expected but then I will get it. John 16:33 reminds me that

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

My respite shall be the knowledge that yes I will have trouble but in the Lord I will have peace.

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