@TPFRuth

This past weekend saw the end of the famous Tusker Project Fame, Season 5. This was one heated competition as there were several good musicians all fighting for the prize money of Kshs. 5 million. The last show on Sunday found me and my wife at home and I decided to be a dare-devil and place a bet on someone who, if they won, could have caused chaos is the whole of the Eastern Africa region.

(Fast forward to the end) At the end of it all....Ruth Matete form Kenya won the award and the whole scene was emotional - from Ruth on stage, to the audience and also into the neighborhood. Shouts could be heard from all corners, but they were definitely drowned by the ones in my house :-)

Why am I writing about this? There are certain aspects of Ruth's life in the academy that captured me and would like to share:


1. Her Talent
Ruth was one contestant who did not have to struggle to find her talent. In my opinion (and am glad this was shared by many others including the judges and faculty), Ruth knew her talent and passions and then gave it her all. I always used to wait to here her performances and would be quite distraught if I missed it.

The bible talks about gifts in Proverbs 18:16, "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men." Ruth's gift definitely has placed, and will continue to place her, before great men.

2. Her Faith
I knew from the beginning of the TPF competitions that Ruth was a Christian; but I can never forget her response after she had won the award. In her own words, echoed by Judge Ian, she said, 'Thank God' and then went on to sing 'Halleluyah' by Alexander Burke.

How many of us, after being favored and brought to a high position like that of Ruth, would remember to give thanks and acknowledgement to God for His help? Ruth reminded me of various people in the Bible who attributed their success to the Almighty God e.g. David, Solomon, King Uzziah, Daniel, Noah, etc. Whenever they were successful, they were careful to give thanks and praise to God.

3. Her Family
One evening we were sitted in a restaurant in Nairobi with my wife, chatting. She then pointed at me towards a man who was dishing out small slips of paper to people in the restaurant. Soon enough, we came to discover that this was Ruth's father and he was out there talking to people and coercing them to vote for her daughter. This was a very encouraging sight.

How many of us (as parents) believe in our children so much that we would do anything to support them? How many of us have brothers, sisters, relatives or friends in whom we believe in and give selflessly towards seeing them grow and become all that God has called them to be? I want it to be said of me that I was a number one fan to my wife and children first, then to others, as God would permit me.

Are there other lessons that you were able to draw out of the just concluded TPF Season 5?