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Culture Documents
I was invited for the interview and I had to board the train from Lagos to Kaduna.
Behold, on our journey the train developed some serious faults that kept us in the
bush in Jebba for six horrible days with little or no provision. Remember, I was
going for an interview that was billed to hold the following day. I was on the
railway line in Jebba while the interview was going on in Kaduna and there was
nothing I could do to help the situation as I lacked the means to arrange for an
alternative way of transporting myself to the venue of the interview, so I missed
the whole thing.
This was how the ambition to enlist into the military was aborted by what was
obviously an act of fate. Who knows what would have happened if I had
successfully attended that interview. I actually felt very bitter I had missed
another chance of making it in life.
With a very heavy heart I went to the village to complain to my mother of how so
many opportunities had slipped by. Little would I have reasoned that it was one of
those stops between steps in my spiritual walk with God until my mother did her
best to calm me down, saying: “My son, do not mind the seeming appearance of
things as of today. If I am ever confident of any child, you are that child. Do not be
afraid of what the future holds for you, because I know if anyone is destined to
fail, you are not the one. So, be patient and you would see what God would do in
your life. I am so sure of your future breakthrough, considering the strength of the
predictions and prophecies about you even before you were born. I cannot forget
so easily what I experienced when I was pregnant with you, and I know God
cannot lie. My son, whatever you may be going through today, just take it as a
temporary setback, meant to prepare you for the challenges ahead. Don’t forget
your name is “Temitope” and, by the grace of God, the whole world shall have the
cause to thank God for your sake.”
After this encounter with my mother, I began to look at whatever came my way
with a more mature mind whose focus was on God alone. I mean, the maturity
that comes from faith in the finished works of our Lord Jesus Christ. My case was
already settled in Heaven. Here I am today in your midst; I can boast of what God
is doing for us. Hallelu jah! You are all witnesses.
In James 4:7, we are told to submit ourselves to God and resist the devil. If we
examine carefully our attitudes toward certain situations, we would see how much
we willingly submit ourselves to the devil each time we view things with the
maturity that comes from the experience rather than of faith. The maturity that
comes from experience is based on what is seen, what is heard and what
circumstances look like. When your maturity is derived from circumstantial factors
other than faith, your level of maturity would continue to fluctuate rather than
being stable. This is why I am enabled to maintain a balance and stable approach
to the challenges that come my way every day. I am not moved by what people
say or do concerning my relationship with God. I submit myself to His direct will
which is good and perfect with no evil in it. Sometimes, God uses foolish things to
strengthen our desire for Him.
In Luke 22:32, Jesus said to Peter, “I pray that your faith would not fail”. This
means, all men make mistakes but people of God get back up. Certainly we would
fall, but with Jesus supporting our position, we would soon get back up.