LESSONS FROM MY 95-YEAR-OLD GRANDFATHER

 3 years ago, I had my grandfather visit me home for 3 days. Since then, his visit has had a profound effect on my life. This was the first time I had spent some quality time with him, and I learnt so much from a century worth of wisdom. The following are some of the lessons I've learnt from him during his stay with me:

Put God first and you will see his goodness

If there's a point which grandpa emphasized more than anything else, it was to put Jehovah first in everything I do. He looked me straight in the eye and say "no matter how successful you become; it is all useless if you don’t have Jesus in your life. All the things you strive for be it money, fame you will  leave behind."

"Make God the center of your life and you will be amazed at how things will progress in your life," he added.

 Be ambitious

Even at his age, grandpa has ambitions of cultivating in his farm and taking his produce to the market. He even asked me to buy him a van so he can be taking his crops to the market citing transport as his number one challenge. He also asked me to be buying non-runner vehicles so he could work on them as he was a mechanic then we can sell them at a profit. He had so many things he wanted to do, and I was astounded by his level of enthusiasm as well as desire to see those through without even thinking about his age.

I thought to myself if my grandfather at the age of 95 can have such big dreams (vision) for his future I should really scale up and level up my vision for my future.

Keep trying, keep pushing and never ever give up!

My grandfather's biggest challenge at least according to him was his eyesight as he could no longer see as clearly as before. For the past few years, he has gone far and wide covering the entire country in search of a cure to his eye problem. The family has tried talking to him about the need to accept the situation but to no avail. Each time he is on the go-Chirundu, Monze, Lusaka, Kasempa, wherever he hears there is an eye specialist. And even if he has been told that he can’t be operated on by most doctors because of his age, my old man still has hope that one day, somehow somewhere they will be a solution for his problem. And he is willing to try wherever it will be found.

Persist until you achieve your goals. Keep working hard until you achieve your dreams, no matter what other people say or do.

You are where you are because of your past choices

As we were having lunch at home on Saturday afternoon, grandpa said: "the reason why I'm even in this house in Kitwe having a nice meal with you is because you're worked hard and were focused at school and now you have even taken care of me and helping out with others in the family. I thank you for what you have done."

That statement made me realize that choices being made even today will count a few years from now. The past choices have taken you this far and current choices are also taking you somewhere in the future. The question is where?

Marriage is between two people with God at the center

At the time he visited, I was really conflicted about marriage. It is something which from most experiences I saw and what I was hearing, wasn’t encouraging for me. So, I decided to take advantage of grandpas visit and asked him what his take was as I clearly told him my position. He paused briefly as if to agree; then told me that marriage is between two people. It is about how the two of you feel about each other and it doesn’t matter what other people say in the end. Put God at the center of it and that’s it!

Get blessings from your parents

He urged me to listen to my parents advise especially regarding the person that I decide to settle down with. He said he has learnt quite a lot in life as most of the marriages where he saw potential pitfalls ended up being like what he had assessed them to be.

Don't judge or assume things 

To be honest I thought looking after him was going to be difficult especially that we were just two guys with my nephew in the house. To our surprise it was so nice to have him, and I think it's also because he has a positive and good spirit.

Ask for what you want

Grandpa seems to have mastered the art from the bible. And even if he may not get all that he would have asked for he has received more because he is upfront and sincere in his asking. From asking for the kind of meal he wanted to asking not to be kept home but rather go out for some fresh air and asking for a beer (castle) to take each night before he slept.

Ask and you shall be given-Matthew 7:7 

You'll also be old one day, live right

As grandpa arrived home walking on a bended back with a walking stick, his great grandson jokingly asked him why he was not walking upright anymore and he responded with: Right now, you may be in your 20’s but just remember that time will come also to be that old. Then went on to say make sure you exercise and eat right so you can even be able to walk at my age.

Be patient you'll get there one day

As we were watching TV, there was a scene which showed a fancy house with nice cars outside. My grandfather from the blues said don't worry, you will get to those levels one day, it's just a matter of time. Don’t just use shortcuts like being dishonest or “juju” to get there. Just put in the work every day and in time, you will get there.

3 days is certainly not enough to contain a century worth of wisdom. We can learn so much from those who came before us not only in terms of what they say but also by their actions and being in their presence.

I am so grateful for my grand fathers visit, and I pray and hope that Jehovah God will continue to bless him and add even more years to his life.

Mr Wilson Matambo Snr (now 97 years) is a true living family legend, and his legacy shall endure for many years to come.