Anecdote-Protection

On Day X, I got ‘industrial’ just like dad would love and preach about. The mission was to pick polythene bags and their likes that had been residing beneath the green bush. No tilling had been done recently which I easily noticed because of how comfortable the polythene bags were. As I removed the dirt however, I noticed something rather strange.

Seeing beautiful vegetation like that, one would expect a healthy amount of shrubs just underneath. But what I saw amazed me.

Nothing! Absolutely Nothing!

The green bush was quite luscious, the soil a little moist and it was the raining season. BUT there was no life just beneath the beauty. That was really odd, wouldn’t you agree? It was only logical to have good amount of vegetation considering the soil and rain that it got. But there was nothing. Apparently, the green bush had done more harm than good. In as much as it had shouldered the harsh weather detrimental to plant life, it also prohibited the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. And that made growth of the least amount of shrubs impossible.

That is what happens when parents become overprotective of their children. When you don’t allow your children learn firsthand the issues of life, that’s what you get. You make their growth
possibility slim to none. You may think you’re doing them good but it stings on the long run. And I’m not just talking about giving them the opportunity to get a great education. It’s far more than that. It is about teaching them the work ethic-how you got to where you are, the value of a currency note, the place of God in their lives, the importance of relationships, integrity, discipline and a host of other things.

Virtually all the successful men had it rough at first- it was during the period they learnt and acquired the skill needed to make it. They felt the sun and even though they were scorched somewhat, it made them photosynthesize into beautiful plants. Your kids have even a better chance since you probably went through all that BUT they still must be taught in some way because the principles still hold sway.

You may think you’re doing your children a favor by willing them your life’s earnings. But the truth is if they do not know how you got to where you presently are and how to remain there, you would be simulating the life of that green bush; very beautiful but absolutely nothing to show for when it withers.

Involved

“If you think you’re ready to get involved, you should be ready to get hurt and most importantly, you should be ready to forgive”

An Excursion

Many years ago, (in the age of dinosaurs!) an excursion with the class was scheduled. It was to the popular Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State. We spent quite a large number of hours on the road due to logistics. When we alighted from the bus we were exhausted though glad to have arrived safely.

One of its glories at that time was the Wikki Warm spring. We quickly unpacked and made way to the spring. I was anxious to practice all I knew about swimming. So I got in the water quite gently and voila I got it perfectly, I was swimming (or floating). After being given an innocent nudge by a friend, I tried to thrust forward…

Then I fell into a trance-like dream that I was unable to wake up from. I struggled to wake up and snap out of it but to no avail. I struggled real hard, but I was running out of breath coped with the fact that something wanted entry into my nostrils. What kind of bad dream is this? I thought. Little did I know that it was water and I was drowning!. I had to inhale after being unable to fight and I felt a rush of excruciating pain in my head. I was getting weaker with every second that passed. My life’s story didn’t flash before my eyes; I didn’t even utter a word of prayer as I thought I would when in the face of death.
I was gifted with just few gasps of breath but that at some point was even taken away. Because of my earlier struggle I felt weak. I could not struggle anymore and so I let myself go- the end.

I was taken up by a hand. It was an angel!-NO, it was a friend. And that’s how I cheated death by His grace. Fortunately, only a few witnessed the drama so my reputation wasn�t all too damaged.

Funny enough, a sequel happened; this time I was thrown in the water and I started another round of drinking but it was not as dramatic as the first. I still survived.
You see, I know how to swim, I’m just not a fan of warm springs. 😀

A lot of us have faced death at one point or the other. It may have been more dramatic or less dramatic than mine but it does not undermine the message it carries; You can lose your life in a split second and so its important to live every minute purposefully.
I believe your life is not a mere excursion.
Make the best of your life now.

Bridges

While thinking about how important my decision was to wait for a reply from God concerning a crucial area of my life (like there’s an area which isn’t), I was soaked in a stream of thoughts. I thought how it was the most important decision yet. How my life depended on this singular decision as it would determine the rest of my life. And a host of other thoughts I can’t even begin to describe.

He corrected me as to how wrong I was and told me it was the same reason a lot of people turned out mediocre. He said the decision you make now to better your life is as important as the decision you make tomorrow when you get up from bed. The day you choose to believe that you have crossed the “FINAL” bridge, that day you begin to become complacent.

Every day is a bridge which is as important as the previous, if you successfully crossed the bridge of yesterday, you shouldn’t believe that crossing the bridge of tomorrow would be automatic. You must be ready to do it all over again. Also know that if you fell down at yesterday’s bridge, it is not a surety that you’ll fall down at today’s bridge. You should still give it everything and believe you can cross it.

And never get tired of crossing bridges, because no matter where you are in life, there’ll always be a bridge begging to be crossed.