28/07/2026
I HAVE A DATE
Living Today for Eternity
www.gracepathnetwork.org
Twenty Five Years Later
The hospital corridor was unusually quiet.
Daniel sat alone on a narrow metal bench
outside the intensive care unit. The digital
clock above the nurses' station glowed
2:17 a.m. Every passing minute seemed
louder than the one before.
A nurse hurried past without looking at
him.
Another disappeared through the double
doors marked Authorised Personnel
Only. Daniel remained still.
His shoulders were tired. His face carried
the marks of a man who had travelled a
long road. Streaks of grey had begun to
appear in his hair, telling a story that no
mirror could fully explain.
Resting on his lap was an old black Bible.
Its leather cover had faded from years of
use. The corners were worn smooth.
Several pages were held together with
transparent tape, while others were filled
with notes written in different colours of
ink—evidence of countless mornings
spent in God's presence.
Carefully, almost reverently, Daniel
opened the front cover.
The handwriting was no longer as bold as
it once had been, but every letter remained
clear. I HAVE A DATE WITH GOD.
Therefore, today matters.
— Daniel
A faint smile crossed his face.
His fingers rested on the words for a long
moment.
"So many years," he whispered.
"So many battles."
"So many reasons to give up."
His eyes slowly closed.
"I didn't always understand You, Lord."
His voice trembled.
"There were days when I thought You
were silent. Days when I wondered
whether obedience was worth the cost. But every time I reached the end of my
strength, You proved Yourself faithful."
He gently closed the Bible and held it
against his chest.
"I have failed at times."
"I have cried."
"I have questioned."
"I have waited."
"But I have never stopped believing that
You are good."
The doors of the intensive care unit
opened.
Daniel immediately stood.
A doctor stepped into the corridor,
removed his glasses, and slowly looked
around until his eyes met Daniel's. For a brief moment, neither of them
spoke.
The doctor's face revealed nothing.
Daniel's heartbeat quickened.
Every prayer he had ever whispered
seemed to gather into this single moment.
The doctor walked towards him.
"Mr. Daniel..."
Daniel swallowed.
"Yes, Doctor."
"Please come with me."
The doctor turned and began walking
back towards the ICU.
Daniel looked once more at the old Bible
in his hands. His thumb rested on the faded words
inside the cover.
I HAVE A DATE WITH GOD.
He drew a slow breath.
"Whatever is waiting behind that door,"
he whispered, "let me honour You."
Then he followed the doctor. Chapter One
An Ordinary Morning
The first rays of sunlight stretched across
the rolling hills, gently chasing away the
cool mist that had settled over the village
during the night. Dew sparkled on the
grass like tiny diamonds, while birds
filled the morning air with cheerful songs.
From nearby homes came the smell of
wood smoke as families prepared
breakfast, and somewhere in the distance,
a rooster proudly announced the
beginning of another day.
Daniel Mwangi was already awake.
He sat on a small wooden stool outside his
family's modest house, a well-worn Bible
resting on his lap. The village was only
beginning to stir, but Daniel treasured
these quiet moments before the demands
of the day began. He opened his Bible to the passage
marked by a faded ribbon.
He read slowly, pausing often, allowing
every verse to settle into his heart.
When he finished, he bowed his head.
"Father," he prayed softly, "thank You for
another day. I don't know what today will
bring, but I know You will be with me.
Help me to honour You in my thoughts,
my words, and my actions. Teach me to
trust You even when I cannot understand
Your plans. Use my life for Your glory."
"Amen."
He closed the Bible with a smile.
Just then, his mother stepped outside
carrying two steaming mugs of tea.
"You're awake before the sun again," she
said with a gentle laugh. Daniel accepted the mug.
"The sun keeps trying to catch up with
me."
His mother shook her head playfully.
"One day you'll learn that sleep is also one
of God's blessings."
"Perhaps," Daniel replied with a grin.
"But I don't want to miss my quiet
appointment with Him."
She smiled warmly.
"If you keep seeking the Lord like this,
never forget that He also sees your
struggles."
Daniel nodded.
She knew him well.
She knew the uncertainty he carried.
School was over. His examination results had been
excellent.
His teachers believed he could succeed at
university.
But hope alone could not pay university
fees.
His father worked tirelessly on their small
farm, yet each season seemed to bring
another disappointment. Sometimes the
rains failed. Sometimes disease destroyed
the crops. Sometimes market prices
collapsed just when the harvest was ready.
Daniel had stopped asking why.
Instead, he prayed.
After breakfast, Daniel picked up a jembe
and joined his father in the maize field.
The morning passed quietly. Father and son worked side by side in the
familiar rhythm of rural life.
Dig.
Lift.
Move.
Repeat.
After a while, his father rested on the
handle of his jembe.
"You've grown into a fine young man."
Daniel smiled.
"I've had a good teacher."
His father chuckled.
"I'm not talking about farming."
Daniel waited.
"I know you've been hoping to continue
your education." "Yes."
"I wish I could promise that everything
will work out."
Daniel remained silent.
"But I can promise you this."
His father placed a firm hand on his
shoulder.
"If you keep God first, you'll never walk
alone."
Those words settled quietly in Daniel's
heart.
He did not realise it then, but they would
become one of the greatest treasures his
father would ever leave him.
Late that morning, his father's mobile
phone rang. He answered quietly.
As the conversation continued, the smile
on his face slowly faded.
When he ended the call, he stood silently
for a moment.
Daniel looked at him.
"What is it, Dad?"
His father took a deep breath.
"Mzee Samuel passed away early this
morning."
Daniel stopped working.
"What happened?"
"He became seriously ill during the night.
They rushed him to the hospital, but the
Lord called him home."
Silence settled between them. Mzee Samuel was one of the most
respected believers in the area.
He had served faithfully at Hope
Community Church for many years.
Whether people were Christians or not,
everyone admired his humility, kindness,
and unwavering faith.
His father glanced at his phone again.
"The church has asked members to gather
at the family's home this evening to pray
with them."
"And the funeral?"
"They're planning it for Saturday."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"We'll go together."
"Yes." That evening, the family joined many
others at Mzee Samuel's home.
The compound was already filled with
neighbours, church members, relatives,
and friends.
Some quietly embraced the grieving
family.
Others prepared tea for visitors.
Several women softly sang familiar
hymns of hope while church elders led
prayers.
No one spoke about Mzee Samuel's
possessions.
No one mentioned how much land he
owned.
Instead, people remembered the way he
had lived. "He never turned away anyone who
needed prayer."
"He quietly paid school fees for children
whose parents couldn't afford them."
"When my husband died, he visited every
week until I found hope again."
"I never once heard him speak badly
about another person."
Daniel listened carefully.
The stories stirred something deep inside
him.
As they walked home beneath the evening
sky, he found himself asking a question he
had never considered before.
"If my life ended one day... what would
people remember about me?" He had no idea that the answer to that
question would begin unfolding at Mzee
Samuel's funeral only a few days later. Chapter Two
The Man Everyone Remembered
The following Saturday dawned bright
and calm.
Long before the funeral service began,
people were already making their way
towards the home of the late Mzee
Samuel. Some arrived on foot, others on
motorcycles, while a few came in vehicles
from neighbouring towns. Relatives who
had travelled overnight greeted family
members with warm embraces, their eyes
heavy with grief.
White tents had been erected across the
compound, providing shade from the
morning sun. Rows of plastic chairs
stretched beneath them, while speakers
softly played hymns about the hope
believers have in Christ. Daniel arrived with his parents shortly
before the service began.
As he looked around, he noticed people
from every walk of life.
Farmers.
Teachers.
Business owners.
Church leaders.
Young people.
Elderly men leaning on walking sticks.
Even those who rarely attended church
had come to pay their respects.
Mzee Samuel's influence had reached far
beyond the walls of Hope Community
Church.
Daniel remembered the conversations
from the prayer gathering earlier in the week, but today he heard even more
stories.
One elderly woman said, "Whenever I lost
hope, Mzee Samuel reminded me that
God's promises never fail."
A young man quietly told his friend, "If
he hadn't paid my school fees, I wouldn't
have finished secondary school."
Another added, "He never wanted
recognition. He simply wanted people to
know Jesus."
Daniel listened in silence.
He wondered whether anyone would ever
speak of him in the same way.
Soon the singing began.
The congregation stood together, filling
the air with the familiar words of It Is
Well with My Soul. Many sang through tears.
Others simply bowed their heads.
When the hymn ended, Pastor Joseph
stepped forward and welcomed everyone.
He led the congregation in prayer before
inviting several people to share memories
of Mzee Samuel.
The first speaker was a former student.
"I was fifteen when I met Mzee Samuel,"
he said.
"My parents could no longer afford my
school fees. I thought my education was
over."
He paused, collecting himself.
"Mzee Samuel paid my fees without
telling anyone. He only said, 'When God
blesses you, remember to bless someone
else.'" The congregation nodded quietly.
Another man came forward.
"I wasn't a Christian when I first met
him," he admitted.
"I laughed at his faith and ignored his
advice."
He looked towards the family.
"But when my marriage collapsed and
everyone else disappeared, Mzee Samuel
visited me every week. He listened. He
prayed with me. Through his kindness, I
gave my life to Christ."
One testimony followed another.
Each story revealed the quiet faithfulness
of a man who had lived for God rather
than for applause.
Daniel felt as though he was discovering
Mzee Samuel for the first time. Finally, Pastor Joseph returned to the
pulpit.
He carried only his Bible.
After allowing the silence to settle, he
opened it and looked across the gathering.
"My brothers and sisters," he began,
"today we have come to honour a faithful
servant of God."
"We grieve because we loved him."
"But we do not grieve as those who have
no hope."
He paused.
"If Mzee Samuel could stand before us
one last time, I do not believe he would
ask us to admire his life."
His voice softened.
"I believe he would ask us a question." He slowly looked across the congregation.
"When your day comes, what will be said
about your life?"
The compound fell completely silent.
Even the children seemed to sense the
weight of the moment.
Pastor Joseph continued.
"The Bible reminds us that every one of
us has an appointment that cannot be
postponed, cancelled, or given to someone
else."
He read slowly from the Scriptures.
'And as it is appointed for men to die
once, but after this the judgment.'
— Hebrews 9:27
He closed his Bible.
"Death is not the end of our journey." "It is the doorway to eternity."
"The greatest question is not whether we
become successful."
"It is not how much wealth we
accumulate."
"It is not how many people know our
names."
"The question is this: Are we living in a
way that pleases God?"
Daniel felt his heart pounding.
The words pierced deeper than anything
he had ever heard.
He lowered his eyes.
"Lord... if my life ended today... would I
be ready?"
The service concluded with prayers for
the family. Afterward, everyone slowly walked to the
nearby cemetery.
The choir led the procession, singing
songs of resurrection and hope.
At the graveside, the pastor read from the
Scriptures once more before inviting the
family to gather around the grave.
A final hymn was sung.
Then, with great care, the coffin was
gently lowered into the earth.
The ropes were slowly withdrawn.
Family members stepped forward one by
one, each dropping a handful of soil onto
the coffin.
Friends and neighbours followed.
The quiet sound of earth striking the wood
echoed across the hillside. Daniel stood motionless.
For the first time in his life, eternity no
longer felt like a distant idea.
It felt personal.
When the burial was over and people
began making their way home, Daniel
quietly slipped away from the crowd.
His feet carried him along a familiar path
until he reached a large acacia tree
overlooking the valley.
The afternoon sun painted the hills with
shades of gold and crimson.
For several moments he stood in silence.
Then he looked towards heaven.
"Lord..."
His voice was barely a whisper. "If You give me many years, or only a
few, I want my life to count for You."
A gentle breeze swept across the hillside.
Daniel drew a slow breath.
He did not yet realise it.
But heaven had just witnessed a prayer
that would shape the rest of his life.
Chapter Three
The Promise Beneath the Stars
The walk home felt longer than usual.
The voices from the funeral had faded
into the distance, but the pastor's message
had not. It echoed through Daniel's
thoughts with every step. "One day we shall each stand before God
and give an account of the life He
entrusted to us."
He had heard sermons before.
He had memorised Scripture.
He had attended youth meetings since he
was a boy.
But this was different.
This message had not reached only his
ears.
It had reached his heart.
By the time Daniel arrived home,
darkness had begun to settle over the
village.
His mother was serving supper.
His younger sister, Ruth, cheerfully spoke
about something that had happened at school, trying to lighten the atmosphere
after the emotional day. His father
listened quietly, occasionally smiling, but
Daniel hardly spoke.
"You've been unusually
