A good friend of mine from my time here has been Logman
Garayev, I’m sure I have mentioned him once or twice. Logman is a nice chap,
very nice guy to be around. Every once in a while when I am over in his room
after enjoying some tea and goof conversation and am about to leave he says
something like. Mwansa you are a good
guy. It’s a very interesting phrase that one, you are a good guy, I kinda like it. I accepted it from the first
time I heard it up until recently when I thought about it. It is a compliment
of course, from one friend to another showing appreciation of the other guy’s
character but what does it really mean?
It is only natural to think of good and bad in terms of
comparison, I mean, is there any other way to look at it. Me, being a good guy
would be in some reference to other guys not being good guys. Maybe it would be
in reference to how the characteristics that I have are things that he values
and enjoys in his company with me, ergo I have good characteristics, not to be
mixed up with features though I do have an absolutely smashing afro. At the end
of the day the compliment remains a compliment and me being only human I enjoy
the compliment. But then it hit me, Is it
enough to be known as a good guy without people knowing why you are a good guy?
Isn’t the reason just as important as the virtue?
To borrow and paraphrase Harold Abrahams from Chariots of
fire, I am a Christian first and last.
That is the reason behind the little good in me and it does disservice to the
creator of the good not to give him credit for the goodness. This sets up two
questions right of the bat, How and Why? These two questions are why you, my one
reader, are here, so here goes.
How? To some extent being seen as a good guy is a step in the right direction in that at some level it
must be seen that there is a difference between the Christian and the
non-Christian. This is because it provides the opportunity to speak of why one
is considered good. Jesus did so himself when called ‘good teacher’ and his
example is the very answer to the question of ‘how?’ It is important that I
expressly show and explain whenever the opportunity comes up why it would be
that I am considered good. After all if anyone is aware that there is
nothing good in me, it is me. I get to look into the mirror of introspection
every day and see myself looking back and the sight is not pretty and so for
someone to look at this mess and even think good
guy, then the one who makes one good needs all the mentioning I can put in.
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| Can't fault the saviors way in, straight and to the point |
As for ‘Why?’ That one would stem from the reason one would
be considered good in the first place. Because I know what I really am, which
is far from good, if anything good can be seen in me I must be sure to point in
the direction of he who makes me look good that he may get credit. If I were to
use a garden metaphor, at the end of the day grass, trees and flowers mask
dirt, which is not the most appealing sight especially considering the manure
that is also there. So if any credit at all should be given when one looks at a
garden, shouldn’t it go to the one who made all look so good instead of the
giving all credit to the garden itself. I give credit for all that I am and
have to God because I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is the reason
for it all and without him I am nothing. Strictly speaking there is no other
option, ask an angel why it sings praise to God and you would likely see a
puzzled face as he asks back, what other
option is there for one so great as he.
I end with this. Being seen as good is not a bad thing but
taking credit for what is good in me would be because there is little if any
good in me. At times I may overlook this but all credit must go where it is
due. I do like and appreciate all that God is doing in my life and that is why
every time I hear those words from Logman as the door closes and I head to my
room I usually pause and smile, God is doing a bang up job on this walking blob
of dirt
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