Tribute to Mr. Godfrey Rwakitarate-Seeking First the Kingdom

There is a part of every visit to Mbarara that I always look forward to-the stop over at the Rwakitarates' home a short distance (about 4 Km) after Mbarara town. I've known Mzee Rwakitarate for almost all my life and he is one person that I love and admire greatly. I am a second-generation fan of his because my parents love him too and I guess he has that effect on everyone he meets. 


For as long as I can remember, Mzee. Rwakitarate has lived by the words of  Matthew 6:33, which is about seeking first the kingdom. In fact, the most prominent thing on the wall of his living room is a hanging with the words  "Mubanze Musherure Bukama bwe n'Okuhikirirakwe nebindi Muryabwongerwaho". It is not surprising, therefore, that he named his children Mubanze, Musherure, Bukama and Okuhikirirakwe. 


Mr. Rwakitarate is about 84 years old and has been saved for over 60 years. He worked in  telecoms for the early part of his career. It was during the second year of his tertiary education that he came to Christ, ending a period he refers to as a "riotous time" in his life. He later retired and became a full time evangelist, which has been his life for about 60 years. He has preached the word not only in Uganda, but regionally and internationally. Even though his health is failing as a result of advanced age-there is still alot of life and youth in his eyes and he has not allowed his age or illness to deter him from his mission. I remember a time when he was ill and we thought he was coming to Kampala to see a doctor, only to learn that he had come to attend a conference. Now that he doesn't leave his home very often, his church members come to his home and worship every month.


Mzee Rwakitarate always has a nice word to say to all who meet him and is quick to give his testimony and gently urge all who listen to follow Christ. He is wonderful with kids-I have loved his company since I was a child, and I now see him mesmerizing my little nieces and nephews with stories and songs and telling them how much God loves them. I often hear him talking about how futile chasing after money is. He speaks about having first hand experience when it comes to doing God's work, and having the faith to let God take care of him. Indeed God has provided-he has a lovely home, which he built without borrowing any money and his children are very successful in their respective fields. He is very content and clearly has everything that he needs.


I've often wondered how he and my parents became friends. As a child, I would often see him-a "born again" product of the Revival, sitting with my father and chatting with him while my Dad drank a beer. There would be no judgment or condemnation in his speech or conduct, but he would always manage to preach the word to my parents. I know he played a part in my getting saved and suspect that my Mom would say the same thing. I guess if my Dad ever gives his life to Christ, Mzee Rwakitarate will be responsible.


Even though I have visited him many times, I always feel like I should spend more time with him. He is one person who greatly enriches anyone who comes into contact with him and I see him as the example of what a Christian should be like. He is one person I'd very much want to be like "when I grow up".


I know many people who have their own stories of how he makes them feel, and I'm sure their stories will be even better than this one.

I'm a Christian

I'm a Christian-or so I've been told. 

In 1997, I believed that Christianity was a trick to fool people into being accountable to an invisible-all seeing authority and a good idea for enforcing good manners and proper behaviour in society. I applauded the person who came up with this well intentioned lie. While I can't say that everything I did was bad, I did not do anything "Christian", save for the occasional church visit, which was a hangover from my upbringing. However, I later traded in my "realism" and decided to believe that God actually existed and played a big part in our lives. I still believe that today. 

While I don't have too many questions about God's place and effect on Christianity (I believe he knows what he is doing better than we do), and I am very happy that I decided "to follow Him" (though at times, I'm not too sure what that means), I still don't know what it is that makes me a Christian.

Was it because I was born into a Christian family and I go to Church? I didn't have a say in this, but could this "fluke of fate" determine my faith? Since my parents were Christians and made us go to church as kids, do I have to do anything else-or should I just consider my work done? In any case, a roll call of my church will show that I don't have a perfect attendance record so on this standard, I can't claim to pass.

Some say that I am a Christian because I was baptised as a Child. Again, I didn't really have a say over this since this decision was taken by my parents-I was just happy to get new clothes and have a baptism party thrown for me. This begs the question-is baptism enough? Don't we have to do more?

Maybe I'm a Christian because I said a prayer asking God to come into my life. However, I have said this prayer so many times and then broken so many promises that I made to Him that I often wonder whether our Holy God still believes me and can actually still be in my filthy heart.

I could be a Christian because I do not drink or smoke. I know a number of people that don't drink or smoke, but are not Christians and I find it hard to imagine that a person's faith can come down to what he or she consumes, as opposed to what the person does.

Is it because I don't cheat on my wife and I try to be truthful and generous? If we are to look at Jesus' definition of faithfulness which includes not having impure thoughts, I must confess that I'm failing miserably in the fidelity stakes. As if that isn't enough, I feel like I'm not as truthful or generous now as I was before I got saved, and I don't think I was very truthful or generous then.

I'm not saying that I'm a bad person (though I don't think I'm qualified to judge that)-and I think I have my good days. However, Isaiah 64:6 clearly states that all my righteousness is as filty rags. Nothing I do on my wn can make me a Christian. This is frustrating, because after all those questions I still don't know what to do to "earn" my Christianity.

The most convincing idea I've heard is that I am a Christian because God forgave (and still forgives) me-or at least I hope He did. This is a more comforting concept because while I am failing miserably, God is infallible, and I would trust him more with my Christianity than I trust myself. Clearly, the greatest weapon in my Christian arsenal is faith/hope-and not righteousness, which I can't attain on my own. 

For this reason, I have every reason to be humble in my Christianity and not think of myself as being better than the next person. Nothing I do can make me holy-but even if I fail miserably, I will keep trying because that is all God expects of me. My Christianity thereore requires me to be more compassionate and understanding and tolerant because I have received the same treatment from God. If I view others who are not "acting" Christian, I expose myself to judgment on the Christian merit standard, and I already know that I am severely wanting.

To all my friends, if I have acted like my being a Christian makes me better than you-I apologize. I'm really doing badly anyway so I don't have the moral authority to judge you. To my Chrstian friends, there is no difference between the things you do and the "unbeliever" you keep criticizing. We still have alot of work to do on our own walk with God on earth, so let's not act like we're already in heaven. I should be known not for my superficial "righteousness" or "piety" (whatever that is) but for my charity (which is the real Christianity) by everyone I interact with. That way, we can finally be relevant in our society and not merely be seen as "that iritating Mulokole!"

To those that don't agree with what I just wrote, thank you for reading this far. I clearly don't have all the answers (I probably am just rambling anyway) and I'm sure I'll benefit from your constructive feedback. However, one thing I am sure of, is that I will not allow "Christian pride", or my feeble attempts at goodness to validate or justify me-I am better off standing on my God's credentials than mine.