It Pays to Be a Donkey

Dear loving people,

Once you take the firm decision to be a success in life, you have to explore all options, stretch your physical, moral and spiritual realms to get to that fondest dream of yours. In this post, I use two outstanding examples from the Bible to demonstrate how some of the things we take for granted, some of the things we look low on or discard are exactly those that have the potential to take you to glory.

In the Old Testament Book of Numbers 22:21-34, this is this beautify story of Balaam staring a donkey of all animals who understood what Balaam failed to understand, and saw what Balaam failed to see. Balaam stupidly beat his riding donkey because she wouldn't go straight ahead. But the donkey saved Balaam’s life knowing that a warrior angel stood ahead ready to kill Balaam. The donkey even spoke to Balaam to reason with him.

Peter in Second Peter 2:16 said the donkey was dumb but he meant that donkeys don't usually speak. Peter didn't mean that donkeys lack wisdom. The donkey was smarter than Balaam, when Balaam should have been at least as smart as the donkey.

So be a donkey. Be wise with the wisdom not of this world. Speak that wisdom to those who might listen. If they don't listen and perish, that's not your fault. However, if you don't speak out the wisdom of Christ, then that is your fault, First Corinthians 2:6-10 tells us this.

Again in Zechariah 9:9, Jesus sat on a pure-bred donkey for his triumphal entry into Jerusalem equally expounded on in Matthew 21:1-11. Although serving as a lowly beast of burden, the donkey served Jesus. Thus the donkey received honor.

So be a donkey. Serve Jesus. It doesn't matter if the service isn't high prestige. A lowly service is an honor both to the servant and the Master.

In your quest for success and happiness, you must remember at all times that in life, there is no royal road to success but when you succeed, every road becomes royal. As you match on tirelessly, I pray that you will forever tread on royal roads to all your ambitions in Jesus name. 

Isiah 45:3 says “I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”

Nforbin’s Determination

Dear loving people,

I love this definition of determination in the Urban Dictionary.

“Determination is simply not giving up. No matter how hard things get, or how badly you want to just give up, you keep on going. Sometimes you just want to let go, when it seems like what you’re going for is just out of reach, sometimes you tell yourself if what you’re trying to get is worth the great amount of effort that you put in it. When things get hard, you start thinking that it’s not worth it, and you just want to let it go, but let me tell you this, the more pain and suffering you put into something, the better it'll feel when you get it”.  

Let’s now see how far Nforbin’s experience exemplify this….

As he was a kid, Nforbin’s father as a building contractor was moving from town to town, building houses and engaging in construction projects. Thus, the boy‘s school career was constantly interrupted. One day while in secondary school, his teacher asked him to write about what he wanted to be when he grew up. He did not hesitate a minute and wrote ten-page paper about his aim to be an owner of a gigantic construction company, he wrote many details and drew a location of buildings and equipment and even a detailed house plan.

Two days later he received his paper back with letter “F“ on the front page. After class he came to his teacher and asked: “Why did I receive an F? “  The teacher responded: “This dream is so unrealistic for a boy like you, who has no money, no resources and who comes from an itinerant family. There is no possibility that you will reach your great goals one day.” Then the teacher offered him the opportunity to rewrite the paper with a more realistic attitude.

The boy went home and asked his father, how he should act. The father answered: “This decision is very important for you. So you have to make your own mind on this“. After several days, the boy brought the same paper to his teacher. No changes were made. He said: “Keep the F and I will keep my dream“.

Today, Nforbin owns a successful construction company, over 10 huge buildings with 20 apartments each on rents and a huge a beautiful home in the middle of a 5-acre ranch and he still has that school paper, which now is framed over the fireplace.

Remember, you have to follow your heart and never let anyone to steal your dreams. I deeply believe that we are much more powerful than we might ever imagine. May we find ways to tap into and use this power for the good of all.

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” ― Vince Lombardi