Photo Credit: Jorge Gardner
Life has a deeper meaning, a deeper purpose... therefore go deeper A week ago, I had an interesting episode at work, which got me grumbling. I sent a marathon of text messages to my husband expressing my hurt and displeasure. I was grumbling about stuff I would ordinarily have ignored. But on this day it got to me loathing so bad and I couldn’t keep the evil influence at bay. I must have sent my husband about 10 messages in a row. And I wasn’t surprised when his only reply came in about an hour later…encouraging me to feel better. “We will talk,” he said. Of course that got me angrier. I wanted someone to gloat with me but he wasn’t giving me that room. Then something spectacular happened. Whilst in the kitchen trying to fix a late dinner, an unregistered number calls me. I answer, and its Nonso, the young lad who worked at my former office as an IT staff. In the final weeks of his industrial attachment, I was his supervisor and I happened to have engaged him quite a bit in that season. I remember in November of last year, he called me while I was in Bayelsa, to say he would be returning back to school and he wanted to thank me for the impact I made on his life. His voice was so full of appreciation and as he spoke, I could also tell that the tears were welling as well, which also had me teary in turn. So, on this “grouchy evening” he calls me again to say the very same things to me… “Ma, I just want to thank you again for the impact you had on my life… my life has really changed and the change is so evident since I got back to school…I even got 91% in my IT…thank you very much ma…” Nonso said thank you in that phone conversation like a zillion times. And I wasn’t sure how to respond. Appreciations like that make me very, very shy. My heart swelled with gratitude that I could make a life beautiful in that manner. And when I hinted that I would be willing to coach him further, he leapt at the opportunity with open arms. Still somehow the moment was short-lived… that moment of gratitude and feeling like your worth is not so bad after all… after all that happened in the office that day. I had my dinner then I checked my WhatsApp to respond to the zillions of messages waiting to be read. One in particular was from a mentee of mine, Damilare, who now studies in Canada. It was about 2 weeks since he shared with me a major occurrence that would change his life forever. He had been invited to speak at a TED talk in his city. I remember reading the invite in his email and exclaiming with joy. We chatted about it later on WhatApp and he talked about not knowing what idea to share. He later sends me a video to preview in the following week. And I was only getting to watch that video that night- 4 days after he uploaded it. The content was superb and the idea was legit. I was so proud of him. As I replied to his video, he came online and we chatted for some time. Then he says something that was truly humbling and that got me flinging the cloud of grouchiness out of the window! As in, with immediate effect. And I repented immediately. Two years ago, Damilare walked up to me and asked to be coached. He made a trip to my house a few times after that and we would have sessions that stretch into hours sometimes. Talking about his dreams, his progress, his action steps and his challenges etc. Once, I setup a meeting between him and my husband… I wanted him to have career counseling from an HR expert. My husband is into management consulting. Now, on this night, as we talked about his TED talk, he makes a note about those sunny and dusty rides to my house in Abuja… “Many a times looking at when I do come to visit for counseling sessions and everything seemed to be bleak…” He expressed triumph, gratitude and above all immense joy. His dream to study in Canada was one of our hot topics…I remember prepping him for his video interview…his application… and I was overjoyed the day he called to say he had been granted admission. Now today, he too would soon be among the line up of fine people to make a TED talk presentation. I repented for grumbling over trivial issues that night because through the lives of Nonso and Damilare, I could see what mattered to God. What God was concerned about and what He expected from me in every season of my life. I suddenly felt relevant, useful and my life had meaning again. I was absolutely grateful for the testimonies the Lord had sent my way to lift me out of despair. When I said to Damilare, I am so proud of you, his reply warmed my heart…”Yes O! I am rewarding the faith and belief you and your husband always had in me…” That night I overcame despair with gratitude and with a more fervent zeal to have definite impact on the many sons I see God sending to me here in Bayelsa. All of whom I hope to write about some day. Psalms 43:11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
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