FLIPPED!

 

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LOOKING FOR MY CROSS

First, some background.

So, what is the Cross about in the first place? What does it even mean? It would amaze you the number of people who have a very vague idea of what the Cross actually means outside the piece of wood on which the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. I must point out here that we aren’t referring to just any cross, as in those days it was a not unfamiliar way to punish criminal offenders. The Cross we are referring to is the one on which the Lord Jesus was crucified, which was and still is a symbol of sacrifice, love and selflessness. It is always amazing when I remember that Christ was under no compulsion to come to Earth and die for man’s salvation, to show and provide a way back to God, but because of the love He has for man, He left His glory in heaven, a glory that we cannot even begin to fathom or comprehend, and came to Earth, not thinking of Himself or His welfare, to be the perfect sacrifice, one which needs to be done once and for all, the perfect propitiation for sin. The Cross also symbolizes suffering, shame and pain. The process of crucifixion was not a pretty one, and no part of it was done in the interest of human rights. With all the pain, He was also exposed to public ridicule and looks of disgust. And all this, for man who didn’t deserve it then, and who still rejects it today. But, was it worth it? God thinks so, and so does every Christian.

Speaking of every christian, this brings us to our topic of today. Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross was carried out, once and for all, with no need to repeat the process, so why do we have a cross to bear?

Matthew 10:38 says, Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (NIV) The Amplified Version puts it this way: And he who does not take up his cross and follow me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living, and if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me. As Christians, every day we live for Christ, we carry our own cross, and for very much the same reason as Christ carried His own Cross – for the salvation of the soul of man. It means that everything that Christ experienced, we should be prepared to endure the same. We should be the embodiment of sacrifice, love and selflessness in everything we do. Our lives are our message, our lives are our testimony, our lives show hope to a world without hope. This means that we will not always have the popular opinion, but our word is the truth. The Bible also said in Matthew 16:24 that, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. As we strive to be more like Christ, we should always carry our cross, and follow Him.

Unfortunately, because of the challenges and situations we find ourselves in life, we are accustomed to dropping our crosses to go and solve the problems we face. Times come when we face some times of trial or even times of plenty when we forget whose example we are supposed to be following, and we become so overwhelmed, that in retrospect, we can’t imagine how much we lost it. Following Christ and being like Him was never a call in to the easy life; it was an invitation into Life, and it is now our duty to show others the Light so that they also might live the Life that we have. In our contemporary times, it is easier than ever before to be so swamped that we forget what matters most, and what is at the center of God’s desire for man, which is that all should come to repentance, and none should perish. God has not called all Christians to be preachers or bible teachers, but we have all called to be witnesses, to be ambassadors, to preach salvation with our lives, which is the most efficient way. We have to go back, find our crosses, die daily and show the world Christ, and the Life He gives freely to all we receive. It might be okay to forget your cross on the odd occasion, but it would be an abuse of your being alive to ignore it, and refuse to represent the One who redeemed you from death to eternal life.

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A WASTE OF SUFFERING

 

Isn’t life the most unpredictable concept you ever came across? I wonder sometimes how it would be if everything was straightforward, no curve balls, no glitches in the works, no unforeseen circumstances… Would it be better then than it is now? Would we be happier? Would we achieve as much or even more than we do currently? Would there be less conflict among individuals, organizations and governments?

It is no secret that life will not always turn out as you have planned it. It is also no secret that every single person alive will have days they wished they never had, meaning that anyone crooning that life is particularly unfair to them is contained in a very small package.

Also it is no secret that times of misfortune will befall both those considered to be good or bad in nature, and not necessarily a consequence of bad behaviour on one’s part. Misfortune actually seems to be pronounced when it picks on an innocent person to show its character. But then, in reality, this popular items of knowledge hardly ever seem to produce a relief, and people go through various degrees of suffering just waiting for when it would all be over, and they can put the episode behind them. This is a lot like someone going to college, and just praying that graduation will come sooner than later.

Every person will chart his own course in life. Everyone’s life will have its high and low times. Why all humans will NEVER be the same is because of REACTION: how you respond to events in your life will define the structure of your life. Suffering, pain, misfortune; they are not billed as interesting moments in your life, but when you realize that there is so much you could gain from those periods, you will not look forward to them, but you would exploit every opportunity they present. An opportunity to develop a stronger mind, a lesson in patience and endurance, a chance to correct some wrongs in your life, a motivation to press forward to achieve what you want, a challenge to outgrow some events and people in your life; all these and many more would be harder to come by in terms of relative sanity and order. Someone once said that great men are never developed in moments of peace, but in times of war.

I have gone through A LOT in the past one year. Two things have kept me going: first, God’s Word. It has been like every single time I open my Bible I see something telling me to NEVER give up, and to always hold on, telling me my future will be bright, and even brighter than I can see. Second thing is, I have absolutely refused to see myself as a failure of any sort. Some things were not in my control, a few were, but I am still my biggest fan. God is going to give me my expected end; He wouldn’t lie about that. All I will do is put myself in the best possible position to be blessed maximally.

Do not waste your suffering. It would be a massive mistake. There are lessons that only suffering and adversity will teach you. You do not want to miss those lessons.

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Christmas...

Merry Christmas in arrears to y'all! I just wanted to put up some pics of what I and my family were up to this period... There is also proof here for Tahir that I do drink!

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The Fifth Sparrow

 

Currently I am reading a book by Max Lucado, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear. I first came across the book in my friend, Funsho’s house some months ago, and ever since then, after reading just the first two pages, I was sure I was going to own a copy of the said book. While reading, I came across some scripture passages that gave me some exposition I hadn’t seen before, hence I thought I’d build on that and share with anyone who comes across this blog.

In Matthew 10:29, the Bible says that two sparrows are sold for a farthing, yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Heavenly Father’s knowledge and protection; it goes on in verse 31 to say that we should not fear because we are of more value than many sparrows. This passage is a reassurance of God’s watchful protection over us and His keen eye for the details in our lives.

There is a similar passage in Luke 12:6, similar but with an interesting twist/addition to it. It says that are not five sparrows sold for 2 farthings, and yet not one of them is forgotten by God? Simple math: 2 sparrows would cost 1 farthing, so 4 sparrows should cost 2 farthings, but then in this recent passage, 5, and not 4 sparrows cost 2 farthings, from which we can freely suggest that there is a bonus sparrow, one which has no cost, no real value, but is thrown in there for being such a magnanimous customer. (It kinda makes you wonder how many free sparrows you would get if you were buying 10 farthings worth – might not even be legal to do so). This Fifth Sparrow is the crux of the matter.

There are a lot of ‘fifth sparrow(s)’ in our contemporary world today, people who don’t think they are worth anything to anyone except those whom nature has enforced the responsibility on; who get easily lost in any crowd, those who think they have no showcase-able talent, those who believe that if they stay in their houses for three months, only their landlords will come to visit them, and even that is to collect the month’s rent; those whose parents never call them and the only time they talk to each other is when they are asking for money, and their parents non-comittally give it to them; those who believe life has not dealt them a fair hand or given them a fair chance, while bestowing multiple talents and opportunities on others.

The problem with this line of thinking is that, the Bible has said that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he: whoever thinks that he/she is nobody will be nobody. This means that the individual will not amount to much in life, he will always despise other people, and will live in a constant state of depression, useless to himself and his society. He always sees himself as less than average. He will constantly pass up opportunities to progress and grow, thinking that such are only meant  for those who have been ‘well-endowed’ with skill and potential. He will also doubt the fact that God loves him, or has any interest in him, or might even accuse God of creating him as a defective product. The individual may not exhibit all the described features, but that individual is definitely looking at a lower quality of life.

Now, on a personal note, after hearing how much those sparrows cost, I’m not sure I want to be referred to as such, but at least the first four had some value. Imagine being the fifth sparrow, the one with no value among those with so little value in themselves.

God said in Matt. 10 that even the hairs of your head are counted (v. 30). Who counts hair? No one does, but to know that God has, that adds a sense of worth. If God knows detail as minute as how many strands of hair I have on my head, if He cares and knows about things that I don’t even regard in the first place, then He definitely knows about what I am going through in my life, about my weaknesses, my short-comings, my strengths, my social life, my academics, my workplace, everything. He also goes on to say that nothing happens to any one of these birds without His knowledge, and then He says that I am worth more than many sparrows. If God pays so much attention to these little birds, and I am worth more, it means, without any doubt in my mind, that I am special.

If I realize that God values me so dearly, then I would claim everything He has said about me; He has made so many promises to me, and I believe every single one for myself. I have no reason to be depressed about anything because the joy of the Lord is my strength; I have no reason to dread an empty pocket because God gives me power to create wealth. I am not concerned about how people perceive me or observe me because I am created in God’s image.

Unwittingly, many people have been called, and have referred to themselves as a ‘Fifth Sparrow’; but even then, God loves you, and He cares for you to pin-point perfection, taking note of the things you don’t and constantly looking out for you. God sees you as worth something; you should too.

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CHASING THE NIGERIAN DREAM

The American Dream, sometimes in the phrase "Chasing the American Dream," is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of prosperity and success. Historian James Truslow Adams coined the phrase "American Dream" in his 1931 book Epic of America. Excerpts include 'The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement…' The ethos simply indicates the ability, through participation in the society and economy, for everyone to achieve prosperity. According to the dream, this includes the opportunity for one's children to grow up and receive a good education and career without artificial barriers. It is the opportunity to make individual choices without the prior restrictions that limit people according to their class, caste, religion, race, or ethnicity. This coinage was meant to promote the United States of America as a land to be regarded as a beacon of liberty and prosperity (Wikipedia).

On the heels of this, I was challenged, especially in light of the fact that Nigeria would, on the 1^st of October this year be commemorating 50 years of its existence, to explore what this phrase could possibly mean for the Nigerian, to compare it with the concept of the American dream and see what similarities and differences there are with the 'Nigerian Dream.'

If I were to address an average, random group of people concerning this subject, having enlightened them on the American Dream, they would almost, always be unanimous in their voicing of the fact that Nigeria has no such dream. Sometimes it feels like God gave a different instruction to the developed world and gave a separate set to the developing world, telling the developed nations to take dominion over the Earth, while telling the developing countries to do their best to stay alive, and He would give a handful of them a lucky break every now and then. The first group has continually developed their spirit of adventure while the latter has learned to finely hone its instinct for survival.

If I were to phrase what I have observed to be the Nigerian Dream, it would go thus:

'The Nigerian Dream is the dream of a land in which every man and woman would strive with all the means at their disposal to get a tertiary education in a professional course (medicine, law, engineering, accountancy), get a job in either Abuja or Lagos, either work in government for the job security, or work in the private sector with some deep contacts in government, know at least one politician, one high-ranking police officer, and one immigration/customs officer; be affiliated to some spiritual leaders that would assist with spiritual attacks on your person/family because they will come, marry someone from your geopolitical zone to avoid any pressure from immediate family members, have children including AT LEAST one boy to avoid insult from extended family, rent a respectable looking house with the aim to buy yours one day, buy a generator to generate your own light, drill your own borehole to provide yourself with continuous water, buy a car that can handle random pot-holes and speed bumps, send your children to private schools run by people from any nationality except Nigeria, and then afterwards send them to any country outside Africa to further their studies; a land where survival is the keyword, with prosperity, education and security all in place to ensure this fact.'

Reading this, I can't help but suppress a slight chill, because even though everyone would have their own take on what the Nigerian dream is, we can all agree this is not far from the truth at all. This explains why we do not create, and we suppress creativity, because as far as we appreciate, a creative mind has lost its primary instinct – survival; this is of course, unless the point of such creativity is to enhance survival by providing financial compensation. I really wish I could get my hands on the documents showing what the founding fathers of this country dreamed for it, because I am sure this wasn't it. Even though the American Dream has been criticized for being too idealist and setting a bar too high, they haven't deviated much from it today.

I belong to the minority of people that strongly believe that Nigeria can and will be better than what we can see now. Many people seeing the preparations being made for this silver jubilee celebration have said Nigeria is celebrating 50 years of leadership failure, waste of potential and resources, as well as endorsing deeply entrenched corruption. My Bible tells me that I will have whatever I say, so I say that Nigeria is blessed, that God's plans for this country will be achieved, that this country will reach its full potential, and make all of us proud to belong to it. It also tells me that we should pray for those in authority, so I commit my President and his cabinet into God's hands that He will lead, guide and direct in the best interests of the population of the country, and may their hearts be yielding to his prodding, that they may put aside all pride, greed and self-gratification to serve the purpose for which God has put them in place.

I believe in and love my country. God bless Nigeria. God bless Nigerians.

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Been A While

Hmmm... I haven't done any writing ever since I got back home for this summer break. I have some titles in my head, but no strength in my hands yet. Oh well, I'll get to it - eventually. I look forward to my next most likely write-up: The Nigerian Dream. See you guys soon!

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