When their true colours manifest
There are situations that brings out the true character of people towards you. Take the example where you're bone dry broke or have that sudden life transformation. Let's look at both situations.
Got fired or lost that job? Got into that financial crisis or found yourself in that sad situation like an emergency and everything to your last coin was spent and you're what financially many will term you as "hana mbele wala nyuma" (hopeless)? Maybe you're several months without pay as attested by county workers or employees in other industries?
Have you tried reaching out to those in your social circle like close friends or family members and what were the reactions after you explained your situation? There are those who'll be empathetic and sympathetic with you and lend a hand. Others will milk capital of your situation and posit a not good image of you to all and sundry.
It's when you've hit rock bottom that you see the attitude of people towards you and especially their true characters if not colours.
Reflecting back, I recall a time I received this email and it necessitated making that quick trip to town to get things in order before close of business. With hardly anything in my pockets save for one way fare, I reached out to that well to do mutual friend and his response was "in an hour's time I'll sort you", and off I was to town.
The "an hour's time" turned into hours before the guy muted me and hardly took calls or replied to texts. Trying my luck here and there didn't yield much, and having completed the business of the day, decided to walk the 18 kilometers from town to home.
Halfway through the walk, as the sun beared fast on western horizon, a vehicle pulled by roadside. It was the very fellow who had promised to sort me out in "an hour's time" and here he was asking I hop into the car and we zoom home. I politely declined the offer saying I was doing that physical fitness walk. What was the point anyway when such a fellow is known as being generous standing friends free drinks but can't send his mother even Sh200 for chama?
As it looks, when you're in that bad off financial situation, you'll realize even your circle of friends will begin thinning out. Not even your family members can be there for you. In case you lost a job and you're currently on ground zero, prepare for all manners of abuses, be it from family, friends or those nosy neighbours. Talk like "he never invested in anything to sustain him beyond that job yet he'd that opportunity!" will cut you like jagged glass shards on your skin.
The second situation is that of life transformation.
One day I met this fellow who in his heydays was a known criminal mainly in narcotics and robberies. He was feared in his society, and his family cringed whenever he barked.
After years of exploits, including being the guest of state numerous times, he had that Damascus moment and transformed from Saul to Paul.
According to him, many did not believe in his salvation, and the "saved" lot said it was just a matter of time before he relapsed to his old habits.
One evening, his daughter fell gravely ill. The man knocked doors asking for assistance to rush the child to hospital as he had nothing. Nobody would lend him a coin.
When he saw light in windows of a local church, he rushed there and explained his predicament. The pastor and the elders, who were the only ones in the church having that meeting to do with affairs of the church, listened, and shook heads negatively. They told him the money they had was already budgeted for the church activities, and none was willing to help him out of their pockets. The man pleaded like his life depended on it, and promised to bring his only rooster to be auctioned next Sunday as his offering. He was politely shown the door.
He wasn't gone far when he heard one highly respected church elder say, "I knew that fellow wasn't genuinely saved and he's looking for money to feed on his vices!"
That night, his daughter died in sleep. The very pastor and elders showed up during the mourning period pretending to offer condolences while posturing fake airs of holiness. The distraught man stood up, told the gathering how the same religious leaders turned him away and pointed to one potbellied elder and repeated the very words he said against him that evening.
"Come to think I intended to be fellowshipping in that church but their hypocrisy turned me away," he told me.
His argument is in line with the thinking of many holier-than-thou Christians who, when they see one mired in great vices, thinks such a person is beyond redemption and the grace of God is not upon them.
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