Life Compass. Dr. Chilungamo Khuwi

      ⸙ BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY

      Chapter Three

      “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

      When God created man, He commanded him to be fruitful and multiply. It was not only in the filling sense (numbers) but also in productivity. He meant that whatever we are purposed to do, we should do it with all our might and be productive, and multiply in the size of that productivity.

      Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean that we should be doing everything that comes our way in this life. There is something unique and special for every one of us to be fruitful and multiply in. Not everything good is right for you. The fact that you can do it doesn’t mean you should be at it. There is something specific for you that only you can do.

      So, what are these things that each one of us needs to focus on and how do we figure them out? This is the million-dollar question that most people don’t get to answer for the rest of their earthly lives and that is partly why this book was born. What are your roles and responsibilities here on earth?

      As earlier said, there is more to fruitfulness for a man than just procreation. Fruitfulness is productivity. The same goes for multiplication, it is not just an issue of increasing the number of people. It has to do with increasing your production ability. Multiplication also means grooming others to be people of your kind or calibre, people that are focussed and expanding in all that they do.

      When you look at a cow, its fruitfulness is not just in bearing the young ones but also in producing milk that people can drink from. It is in producing the manure that plants can benefit from; the meat that people can eat; the hide that shoes can be produced from.

      Though a dairy cow may also produce meat, manure and hide, its primary focus is milk production. Therefore, focusing primarily on developing the efficiency of the milk production system should be the ultimate thing. If it had the abilities to enlarge certain parts of the body, then udders would have been the primary focus. Similarly, some cows are solely to produce meat. Though they can produce milk, their goal rests in growing as big as possible; the rest are by-products.

      Though various aspects of your life may call for your attention, there is always a specified niche that calls even louder. This is your ultimate purpose in life. For you to determine your area of focus, several things must align to recognize your Eden, the kind of garden in which God placed you in. Not every garden grows the same kind of crops. Not all farming skills apply to all gardens. The ‘how’ of farming is largely dependent on the crop type, the soil, the climate and the season. My garden’s location (environment) is not the same as yours. The skills and knowledge I need and the actions I need to take will differ from yours. Even though principles and practices mirror and share common ‘how’s’, their applicability and contexts may differ.

      Even though you can be many things in different places and to different people there is or should be one thing that you will be known by. Even though Mandela was a son, brother, uncle and father to different people, yet to the whole world he was a leader and a freedom fighter. Though he possessed other roles and responsibilities, his legacy remains coined to these two words: freedom fighter.

      Despite the multiplicity of the attributes that you possess which are vividly displayed to those around you, there is something or some things about you that are a common denominator. These are often closely tied to your overall purpose. Those with leadership traits often carry such an aura into their daily musings. If you enjoy providing counsel; your workplace, church and school will often be met with surplus opportunities for you to demonstrate the array of quality. Whatever your profession might be, you may find yourself weaving the grand fabric of your personhood through the mundane dealings of your work.

      Recently, I listened to the commencement speech by the late Chadwick Boseman – (The King of Wakanda) at Howard University. In his speech, he touched on purpose and he said, “This day when you have reached the hilltop and you are deciding on next jobs, next steps, careers, further education, you would rather find purpose than a job or career. Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfil.”

      The ‘garden’ you have been placed in, the inherent desires and talents placed in you by God aid in directing you towards your purpose. Whatever you do in that garden affects everything in and connected to it (people and their environments).

      Let it not be mistaken that those without ‘talent’ (inborn ability) are unable to fortify the necessary tools to enable them to fulfil their God-given purposes. Unlike talent, no one is born with the skill. Skill is wrought. Skill can be learnt to cover for the lacking talents. Some people are born leaders but that doesn’t mean that leaders can’t be made.

      Though we may not all have platforms with thousands of followers, our primary follower is ourselves. We must therefore harness the skills of leadership.

      God placed you on this earth to be fruitful and multiply in things that bring peace, order, joy, solutions and the best of others. You need to find out what that is. Why were you born in that continent, country, city, community or family at such a time as this? What things can you do something about, that need sorting for the world to be a better place according to the natural desires and talents embedded in you?