THE FORCE OF BLOOD

 

I was thinking this morning..... After my secondary school, I went to spend the long holiday with an uncle and his family while waiting for my admission to the university. Being a very successful civil servant, they lived a much softer life compared to my home. I was a good nephew, waking up early to clean the house and wash the car. After months of living with them, I expected in my naive mind that I have earned what it takes to be equal to my cousins in the eyes of my uncle. I was so wrong.

One weekend, my uncle was decluttering and brought out this nice lace shokoto he hadn't worn since his younger years. Because my cousins already had so many clothes and I, almost nothing, I expected that my uncle would do me the honours. Alas, he gave the lace to his son who doesn't need it. I was really pained and couldn't understand why he would bypass me that really needs it. I was only 15 years old. Years later after I had children of my own, I did exactly what my uncle did. As I considered the reason why, I discovered we were driven by the force of blood.

In the Netflix movie, Yellowstone, Rip, that started living with the John Dutton family since he was a boy was suddenly moved out of the foreman's house to the bunkhouse because Kayce, John's son wanted to live there. When Beth, John's daughter, reminded him that Rip does not deserve to be treated that way because he looks at him like a father, he responded 'But I am not his father, honey. I'm Kayce's father.' The force of blood at work.

We know of so many religious leaders that started their ministries with fellow labourers in the vineyard. These brethren laboured with them from the begining until the ministry became great. Many years later, they side step their co-labourers and will hand over the reins of power to their children at the expense of those that have served them all their lives. Please do not judge them, it is the force of blood at work.

Why would a man find it easy to will his properties to a truant child rather than a relative or stranger that has served him all his life and call him dad? The force of blood. What is in man that makes us willing to give our all to our children? We always say blood is thicker than water, but not when the water is frozen. The connection of children to parents is stronger than we think. Proverbs 13:22.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey