SEPTEMBER |THE LOVE MONTH | Robert Mugisa Abwooli

 

Welcome to the month of September, 2021!

I thank the Almighty God for his loving kindness and mercy upon each of us. I know that nothing happens without his making and knowledge. Whether you have had challenging times on the one hand or good and refreshing moments on the other, God was in them all. That’s why we continue to pray on a daily basis in accordance with Mathew 6 from verse 9 and say,

“Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,

Give us today our daily bread,

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us,

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one;

For yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,

Now and forevermore, amen.”

Friends, allow me encourage us this month to love God and fellow people unconditionally. The love of God will help you to love everything and everyone he has created. You might recall that in Mathew 22:34-40, “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law tested him with a question: Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? In verse 37, Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

The verses that follows are also amazing: “And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

I thank God for all those who were born in the month of September including Abooki Moreen Karungi and Abwooli Makayla Ninssiima. I speak to you in accordance with Psalm 118:17-19, that you will NOT die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. You might have faced or will face some chastisement and challenging times, but God will not give you over to death. He will open for you the gates of the righteous and you will enter and give thanks to the Lord. Amen.

It was on September 5 that Abooki introduced me to her people and she got to know mine and on September 7, I took her hand in holy matrimony. We celebrate 8 years this month! It can only be God’s making and will. We thank God for all he has done, all he is doing and all he will do for us, our families, friends, the nation of Uganda and all other nations of the world. I felt I would share this background so that you know why I refer talk of this as being the love month. I am remembering and thanking God for giving us the gift of love and commitment to marriage and family life. I relate this with article 31 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (as amended) that provides that men and women of the age of eighteen and above have the right to marry and to found a family and are entitled to equal rights in marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. I speak into a long-life or lasting marriage and come against powers and principalities that cause relationships and marriages to dissolve. Amen.

Through experience, I have learnt in light of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 that love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. Wow! These are very precise statements, easy to grasp. If we keep these in mind and at heart, I believe we shall continue to have a better world to live in.

True love will cause us to promote and strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, recalling that human rights are natural entitlements that belong to each of us by virtue of being human. Each of us has the rights to equality before and under the law; life; personal liberty; freedom from any form of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; freedom from slavery or servitude; property; freedom from unlawful search of the person, home or other property of that person; fair, speedy and public hearing before an independent and impartial court or tribunal established by law; freedom of speech and expression which shall include freedom of the press and other media; education; among others.

There is no reason and no time to spend on hate. In the eyes of God and in accordance with Psalm 139:14, we were all fearfully and wonderfully made. God’s works are wonderful. I know that full well. If only we can spend more time on loving people the way they are without any form of discrimination on the basis of gender, age, race, color, origin or orientation, I am convinced inside out that we will live to enjoy life to the full. Ultimately, we are immortal and at one point we will have to depart from this world to another eternal place. The question we must ask ourselves and answer at the same is: “How much did I love those I met along my life’s journey?”

I conclude by quoting 1 John 4:19 to say that should you be struggling with the conceptualization of love and why you should love others, please love them because God first loved you.

Robert Mugisa is a human rights lawyer and advocate. He is passionate about seeing justice served to all at all times and his heart beats to see that everyone attains the basic minimum standard of life.