Unpacking Bvute’s rhapsodic ‘Reflections’ of hope
It is during such times that the reading of Ozias Bvute’s rhapsodic “Reflections” (2018), becomes not only apt, but revealing, thought-provoking, ennobling and uplifting, for indeed your circumstances are not unique, neither are they permanent.
TODAY’S world has become so individualistic, selfish and pessimistic that to hope one gets a shoulder to lean on in times of distress may be as futile as seeking apples in an orange tree. With hope dreams slated on the demeanour of expectation, those of us who have been slapped in the face by misfortune open our arms to the satiation of alms dropped at the altar of expediency; hoping, just hoping that the world changes its mind and remembers us.
To those of us hard done by suffering due to many moons of false starts, living is a gamble where dreams are never short of frustrations because to us hope wears so many shades that it is ever easy to miss it in the maze of colour blindness. Nonetheless, we are never short of hope, for in its absence, what then becomes certain out of the mire that engulfs us up to the nostrils is death; death the elixir, death the leveller.
Ooh how so unfeeling can life be! So little to believe in; yet so much to fight for, and death always lurking in the woods of our dreams. Always, there is so much to fight for when we are conscious of the fact that death is never the end to life, but the beginning of all; for indeed, in life we live with death.
Gentle reader, hope is what those who are forever weather-beaten feed on, for as the sun sets, it certainly rises, with its promises of the rainbow. But what happens then, dear reader, what happens if hope wears so many shades that missing it causes much crestfallenness as does picking a wrong shade of grey out of 50 possibilities?
What then becomes of the wretched if hope keeps on receding to the horizon yonder, leaving in its wake fear, despondency, alarm, pessimism and uncertainty? A dark side to life always abounds in the same way that another shade to it; the brighter one exists somewhere else; so much suffering, so much poverty in the middle of plenty.
But is it possible to hope in the face of hopelessness? Is it possible to rise from the dust that we believe is only meant for us; to emerge from the storms of our existence and rise to the apex? Could there be a hand, an invisible hand, that is responsible for altering the course of our destiny in a single swish?
Reflecting on these questions and a lot more on the phenomenon called life, I enmeshed myself in Ozias Bvute’s devotional book “Reflections” (2018) published by The Figtree Foundation. There is something about Bvute’s way with words that effortlessly takes the reader in; in its simplicity, yet consuming and serious way. He tells his story in such a way that his experiences become a shared memory that can be used to invoke the inner man to strive for a better tomorrow even in the face of raging storms.
The barrage of negativity that has become part of our existence, be it from our books, music, the media; both mainstream and social, our conversations leave one wondering whether we really have run out of stories of hope, laughter and love. It is this permeating air of negativity that thwarts all our efforts to change the outcomes in our favour; and it is this pessimistic nature of humanity, that teaches us that once bitten, twice shy, instead of advocating persistence that Bvute is contemptuous of as he reflects on the travails that we endure on a daily basis.
I must say that motivational writing is not my favourite genre, given that everyone, who so much as acquire a certificate in this or that believes that he/she can write an “inspirational” book that can “change lives”, yet his/ her own circumstances yearn to be changed; but “Reflections” drew me in. It is that kind of book that speaks to your circumstances regardless of your station in life, religion or level of education. Divided into daily devotionals of two pages at most, with an opening daily scripture, the book tackles issues of failure, wisdom, forgiveness, honesty, past hurts, aspirations, resilience, faith, giving and friendship. Of essence is that one can read the book one devotional entry at a time; in between chores, in the kitchen, during lunchtime or any other leisure time that one finds in our busy daily schedules to keep body and soul together. The devotional can be read over and over again depending on one’s mood or situation.
As a Christian, Bvute believes that God plays a role in shaping individual destinies, therefore, one should make an effort to connect with the Creator, yet the writer does not pretend to be righteous, neither does he pastor to the reader; he simply cites examples where the presence of the Lord has delivered individuals, himself included, from the devil’s jaws. Though the book transcends religious affiliation, as the topics touched on affect humanity in its entirety, Bvute is not apologetic of his Christian beliefs.
“Reflections” may be his first book, but Ozias Bvute is not a newcomer to devotional writing, as I first came into contact with his inspirational spiritual writing in “Walking in Spirit”, a daily entry in The Herald, for quite some time now, only that I was not aware, like many of his followers out there, that it was him behind the reflections. The evocative, thought-provoking and enthralling devotionals take the reader down memory lane to past failures, hurts and betrayals, to the resilient present, where hope is rekindled in preparation for a brighter future.
In “The Power of Forgiveness”, “Forgive and Let Go”, “How to Forgive” and “Letting Go”, the writer implores the reader to forgive, because to err is human, to forgive divine; and that all of us have been hurt and will be hurt in one way or the other; we are also not insulated from hurting others. Holding on to past hurts will only exacerbate one’s own suffering and impedes on progress, for he who forgives others also forgives himself/herself.
Bvute implores: “How many people are hurting out there or holding a grudge against you, yet that was never your intention? As God has done unto you, do unto others. Let us begin the process of mending all these broken relations. Let us release ourselves from the bondage of anger and its resultant effects,” (“The Power of Forgiveness”). If one does not forgive, then one blocks his/her own blessings, and relations will remain strained, yet we all thrive with others around us, for we do not live in vacuums. There is also the other side to forgiveness; remorsefulness and the ability to apologise. In “The Power of an Apology”, the philosophical writer highlights the significance of the three magical words: “I am sorry”.
He writes: “It is not very easy for a human being to get to that level of maturity where they are always prepared to say the words ‘I am sorry’. The need of the hour is for people who can readily say, ‘I was wrong, I am sorry, please forgive me’. These few words can prevent wars, foster relationships, keep families together, and allow peace and harmony to prevail.”
The devotional repertoires in “The Power of a Positive Mind”, “Failure”, “Facing Opposition” and “The Power of Vision” purvey the crucial nature of agency and perseverance in the face of negativity. Past failures and the fear of failure should not be yardsticks to measure what is in store in the present and the future; circumstances do change, Bvute intimates, but they only change because one wills the m to.
In “The Power of a Positive Mind”, the motivational writer uses his own experiences to highlight how one can overcome negativity and hatred to alter outcomes. He refers to the bad publicity that he endured at the hands of “a journalist who particularly disliked me, and he had nothing positive to write about (him).”