Clarion Call

Dear lovely people,

In this world in which we live everyday are people who are wrapped up in superficial things while the real things that are important and that they very much seek, sneak pass them. There are people who are so obsessed with jobs they forget their time away from many other valuable aspects of their lives such as spouse and kids. On the other hand are those who are so concerned with going out and partying that they miss the sunrise. Essentially, life is about placing value on things with real intrinsic worth. It’s about not having regrets at the end of your life and so, here I come with a clarion call on you to realign.

It’s my conviction that everything has significance and meaning. When I look at the seed for example, its significance is to allow the perpetuation of organic life. Your body is made up of limbs and organs that have their distinct significance and functions. The lungs for instance allows the oxygenation of blood which the heart as its own function, permits it to throughout the body.

Consider then the situation of man, everything in the world surrounding us, and even within us, has its own unique significance and function, is it conceivable that you find people who exist without any unique function or purpose? Think hard, maybe it’s just time o hid to this clarion call.

The Bible in Joel 2:28 (NIV) says “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” The prophet Joel was announcing, sending out a clarion call about the end times, the last days. How would you want it to meet you? Would you want to end it all up as a failure? Somebody who lacked vision, fumbling everywhere and living a miserable life? It’s all about choices and interestingly your choices.

Talking about Living in the last days, the prophet Joel is saying that the next great epoch-making act of God is not another flood, and not the choice of a new Abraham, and not another great Exodus, and not the giving of another law, and not the taking of a promised land, and not a period of Christian kings or an exile in Babylon, and certainly not another Christ to die and rise. Those chapters are all over. Living in the last days means that the next great epoch-making act of God is the great and terrible day of the Lord referred to in verse 20—the second coming of Christ.

Whether we like it or not, we are in the final days of preparation for the Great Day when no more conversions can be made. The final division of sheep and goats will happen. History as we know it will be over. All those who have worked hard, worked smartly and aligning their dreams with God’s plan for humanity will rip everlasting benefits and as a matter of fact irrespective of our believes, all those who have loved Christ will enter the kingdom of his glory. And all those who have rejected him will enter just and everlasting punishment.

Now is your time to cross the river while the flooding is still upstream.

Emelda’s Reason To Hope

Dear lovely people,

Emelda held her head disbelievingly in her hands for a greater part of that evening. It was as if it downed on her that moment that her life had suddenly become one big mess. She gaped at everything around her and seeing nothing, a billion and one thoughts where running through her mind. Could it be that all is ended? Can this be possible? Is it true that the last three of my businesses have all gone down the drain? Can it be happening that my dearest mother is on her dying bed? What did I do to deserve all these torments? Why will God allow these painful things to happen to me all in a series? A billion and one thoughts with no glimpse of an answer.

How many Emeldas are out there at this particular moment? If you believe as I do that God is God, then for sure nothing happens apart from His knowledge and permission. He is willing and always able to sustain you during the worst of times. But then, how come Emelda got to that level?

Good question! Primordially, I want you to realize that no matter your situation at this very second, your story isn’t finished yet. Think for a minute of Job’s sickness, Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers, David’s adultery. Joseph told his brothers, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, to judge and punish you? As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:19, 20).

Just before you hastily decide to give up, you should clearly understand that God has not given up on you! So, don’t give up on Him. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

If others have made it through, then you can too. Get connected with others who have gone through similar situations. You will find hope, strength and encouragement. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

Even when life feels pointless, or too difficult to handle, you should remember that things always change. Abraham Lincoln will never be president if he had conceded to the multitude of failures he had in his life. Winston Churchill had hope when there was no reason to hope and he became British Prime Minister. Nelson Mandela will never be President if he surrendered while in prison for crimes he did not commit. There will be no florescent bulbs today if Thomas Edison gave up after trying 1,000 times with no success to invent one.

I will hope even when I can’t spell the word hope

I will hope even when everybody else thinks I am hopeless

I will hope even when apparently there is no reason to hope

I will hope even when lost in the wilderness of life’s troubles

“Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.” -  Samuel Smiles.

John’s Bounce Back

Dear lovely people,

It was John’s 20^th job interview in a row. I met him at home completely devastated. “Is it that I am not meant for a job? Is it that God has turned his back to me or is it that I am outright stupid and can’t give straight and needed answers in a job interview?” He fired these questions at me in a string as if I was the source of his dilemmas and so I sat him down for a talk….

I told john that he is not alone. Everyone fails and some of the times, many people fail many times over. Yes, everyone. If someone claims to have never failed they're either lying or have never tried very hard and I would like to meet someone who has never tried something. Each time you meet really successful people, you are meeting people who at one point in their life hit the bottom of the bottom but what is special about them is that they did not remain down there, they actually got right back up and did it again, again and again.

Just because you didn’t reach a specific goal you set no matter how important it is, that doesn’t mean you can’t still do what you’d like to do if you really want to. It’s not over just because you didn’t create one specific outcome. If you keep doing what you love, you will inevitably identify new possibilities that will fulfill you. I got John here. My message went straight into his inner being and trust me, he was on a job three months later. Sometimes, you just have to focus on the process, not the results.

I always tell people that life really doesn't care about your good intentions. Some of the times, even rock-hard resolve and endless hard work can't shield us from the unanticipated knocks and spirals that derail our plans and rudely leave us in the uncomfortable bosom of failure. The question is, how do you manage that reality? 

At such a point in time, the one sure way out is to accept and to a greater extent, expect the unexpected. That opens you up to seek growth. Believe it or not, there are lots of benefits to failure. In fact, failure can actually be the most valuable learning opportunity out there! But not if you don't take the time to examine the experience in-depth. As painful as it may be, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor when you seek to understand why you failed and what you can do differently next time to avoid a similar outcome.