If my pursuits and lifestyle choices cannot be defined in terms of the mission of God, then they must be stamped as ubatili.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
What Is Ubatili?
The key phrase here is worthless things. I tried to trace the original word and found it is shav in Hebrew. Seeking its Arabic equivalent led me to batil, and naturally the Swahili equivalent becomes ubatili.
The meaning is emptiness, vanity, lies, futility. Any pursuit that does not have eternity or God's mission at its centre must be stamped ubatili.
Measure Every Pursuit
If I pursue academic credentials for titles and status, ubatili. Wealth to appear in great magazine lists, ubatili. A car to communicate opulence to a cheering world, ubatili. Anything that moves an admiring populace to drool in envy, ubatili. If my pursuits and lifestyle choices cannot be defined in terms of the mission of God, ubatili.
This week is one of prayer and fasting. Something inside me says that topmost in our daily prayer lists should be the psalmist's prayer: Geuza macho yangu yasiutazame ubatili; unirudishe hai katika njia zako.
