GSHAYO

So many times I meet friends and hear amazing stories of the past. One day I met an old man and he was telling us the life story of a colleague they went to school with who went on to become a very successful politician. He said ‘my son life is an amazing journey full of surprises. Do you know…..? Believe me or not, we went to school together. He was dumb at school struggling with mathematics but today he is a reputable figure you all wish to shake hands with!’
A day before the new year, I was reflecting on my past and it made me remember so many stories of the people I have heard who came from difficult and dark backgrounds to become inspirational figures we admire and eager to learn from. I once read the story of Oprah Winfrey that she was abused at earlier ages but managed to become world’s number one woman billionaire. It’s a true story of a talk show guru which teaches us a very valuable lesson in life that we cannot delete our past but we have the power to shape our future.
One day I was invited for a radio program known as ‘Njia Panda’ at Clouds FM. It was an interview in which I met a longtime friend we went to school with who was sharing her true life story. The story of a college graduate who went through a lot to becoming a sex worker. One thing I remember to have told her off record was that everyone has this dark part of his life, even the people you respect and admire so much. It’s only that we don’t happen to tell our stories; it’s only that we have decided to let our past go, otherwise we don’t wish to look back at our past and see the things we used to do.
You may be discouraged by your past because everyone wants to look at your CV. Even your fiancé would like to hear that you have been a good girl just to be in comfort that you will be a responsible wife. So your past keeps on hunting and pulling you back making you feel useless, hopeless and lost. May be you were a drug addict and you feel bad because everyone knows your past. May be you didn’t go to school and you shy away from friends’ conversations because they know your past. May be you were abused at earlier ages and you don’t want marriage anymore because you hate men. May be you used to be a play boy like me and you feel guilty of the lives of the good girls you destroyed. But today you will realize that your future is more important than your past.
Everything we go through in life has a meaning attached to our destiny. Every event, every problem that happens in our lives teaches us something about life. And the good thing is that we have the power to make a difference and shape our destiny. One day I asked myself if God has the power above everything on earth why should He leave us suffer while He could stop every suffering we experience on earth. Then I discovered something that we are created in His own image and that we are endowed with the power to create. God has given us free-will. It’s through the creative power and free-will that we discovered airplanes and atomic bombs. God has given us freedom to decide on how to use our creative power and free-will.
As we speak right now that power in within you. The power to transform your past into a bright and promising future. You cannot delete your past but you can let it go and start afresh. You cannot run away from your history but you can learn from it. Yes your CV is dirty, your background is not good but the world is not looking for angels. We are not expecting saints on earth but we are looking for people who are ready to change and make a difference in their lives and to the lives of others.
I used to be a player and my past was very dark. At a certain point in my life I thought I was HIV positive and I told my mom. I lost hope, happiness and my future was black. When I checked my health and realized that I was OK I changed my lifestyle, decided to focus and take care of my physical and spiritual self. Then everything changed, I became happier, energized and my future looked promising. If you hate your past, I understand, because I have been there. What people know about you should not bother you, because It doesn't matter how dark your past is, what matters is the kind of future you are going to create from today. Whoever says that there are no dots in his life is a liar. But again our dots are insignificant as long as we achieve the bigger picture. Even if you’ve gone through immense pain of divorce or broken relationship you can still raise a happier and successful family. Do not shut your dreams because you have been a street kid. You can still become a university professor. Even if you are a single mother or you have never known your father. Know that you have the father in heaven to look up to. Be positive and believe that your future is greater than your past.
Today I encourage you to focus on the bigger picture. There is nothing you can do about yesterday. You can’t even lift a pen yesterday. But there is something you can do now. There are things you can do tomorrow. There is the power in the present and the future. If you are surrounded by friends who are holding you back because of your past then create new friends. There will always be people in life who will accept you as you are and give a meaning to your life. If the environment makes you remember much of your past to the extent that you fail to focus on your future then go to a different place. I know a lot of people who travelled to foreign lands where they established themselves so well and raise beautiful families.
You deserve to be happy no matter your history. Forgive yourself and ask God to help you become a better person; give you strength and inner peace. Always remember that history has been created by people with amazing stories. You are one of them.