“Truth
is not bitter. It is heavy that is why it’s only few people that can carry it”
Tayo Olumadewa
The
unknown monk said “When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world; I
found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn’t change my nation, I began to focus on my town. I could
not change the town and as an older man I tried to change my family. Now, as an
old man, I realized the only thing that I can change is I, and suddenly I
realized that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on
my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact
could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.” This
is the power of one man if we deceive to abandon our bird eye look and create
an environment that works for humanity.
In
a nation where money has been made the focus of individuals, leading to the
neglect of core values, and which translates to low gross mental output, it is
paramount to speak out and amplify our voices in other to inspire others, so
that we can all preserve the respect , affection and total admiration of our
nation.
When
possessions and too much love for money is the hallmark behind once existence,
who we are is tied to things that fade away. We become desperate to fit into
the society forgetting that we are to transform the society with the investment
of our personality. Our identity changes, our appetite for things increases and
we become desperate to take things that does not belong to us. We become daring
to carve out revelation to justify our acts as against the reason why we acted.
But is this the best of us?
Most
of the times I hear people talking about changing the world. I heard a lot of
people saying they will recreate their world yet could not change themselves. He
who will change the world must first govern himself. We have to take
responsibility for our actions and become the change that we are dreaming off. We
have to find out the real reason we are living which is to live life significance
against survival. There is a reason we are alive now and it is our duty to make
maximum use of it. Our ability to comprehend our real reason for living is what
will model the real meaning of life as to Live Interdependently For Excellence.
But
how are we going to achieve this as a body if we don’t really care for
ourselves. How are we going to win war against the adversary if we don’t love ourselves?
How
are we going to change our world if we are not ready to change ourselves?
How
will we build the nation if we are not ready to build people we meet daily?
This
are the questions we need have to ask ourselves in we will recreate our world.
I
was opportune to attend Parents Teachers Summit of a church. The topic was on the
impact of media on the children. The facilitator is a young man in his forties with
great passion for kids. During his presentation, he spoke on young artistes
whose background is from church but left due to circumstances that is unhealthy
to their personality. He said they left the church to release albums that are
unfriendly to children, unedifying to the environments and against the values
of their beliefs. He concluded by questioning the parents on what could have formed
their decision in their choice of music. Since no one is ready to answer, he said
the church don’t care for his people and
sometimes don’t pay for the services and since they have bills to pay, they have to
sustain themselves with their skills which require them to find a way out.
After
listening to his presentation, I remember such story which I will share with
you. It is a story I titled the “Insensitivity in the church" and how we
discourage our people, how we contribute to the downfall of our people all in
the name of revelation, how we kill dreams all because of our ignorance, how we
frustrate our people and how we cheat ourselves of the greatness GOD has for
us.
He
was a young man of 24 who just finish the higher education. Born to a family of
four whose parents belong to the middle class? He struggled to pay his school fees
with the aim of getting a job so as to sustain himself. After several attempts
he decided to concentrate on his career of becoming an international music
artiste since he could not get a job. He volunteers to join the choir in his
church where he rose to become the head in 90 days. A well cultured young man
whose hope of getting to the top decided to carve a niche by giving his best
every time he was opportune. He became everyone’s choice to lead the worship,
he became the dream of every woman; he became the answer that liberates souls
that are troubled. In the cause, he was inspired by his colleague to release
his own album which he yielded to. He manages to record all the songs and made
the album. Everyone in the choir was proud of him. The church was proud of him
and he can see the king in him coming out gradually.
But
the unexpected happened. He needed some money to mass produce his album which
made him to seek for help in the group. Their responses were not encouraging
and from one to another, he keeps
hearings things like this. It is well. Some will say the lord will provide.
Some told him they are waiting for the leading of the Holy Spirit. He was amaze
getting such responses. But he kept at it. But after several effort and not
result,, he call it a quit and promise himself to find a way out. This he did
by taking time off the church to solve his predicaments.
In
the cause of this, he got an invitation to an event where he met a millionaire
who promise to sponsor his album but at a price. The man believes in him are
ready to invest in him. What is the price because it has been said that
everybody has a price. It may not be in cash but in things. He told him that
the best way for him to succeed at fast rate is for him to neglect the church
values and to stick to the values that people want.
My
friend yielded and his first album shook the whole nation. The second and third
album did the same thing to the entire continent of Africa. By now he does not
have time for. His church heard of his exploit and he was labeled as a devil
and he was excommunicated from the church. The same person that ignored him are
the same that are labeling him and the evil one.
Then
I ask myself why we are like this?
Can
we see that we are our problem sometimes?
What
is the role of a church is someone’s life?
What
is the benefit of being loyal to a set of people in a church?
What
is the benefit of serving GOD?
Does
God pay one salary?
These
are the questions I ask myself. But I can tell you that GOD pays people salary.
Somebody
said you are promoting laziness, No I am not. It is important we understand
this. “SOME PEOPLE JUST NEED A PUSH” just
to start.
In
the days of when manual car is common, if the battery is faulty, we find a way of
the jumpstarting the engine. This is done by people pushing to a speed so that
the driver jumpstarts the engine. The moment this is done, everyone that pushes
the car turns away from the car leaving it to fulfill the purpose of being a
car.
Note
this, the church what some people need is a push. Heller Keller was asked “What
is the worst thing than being a blind person” She responded by saying “It is for
a man to have eyes and cannot see”. How many people in the church can see?Remember
eyes that look are common but eyes that sees are rare.
I
concluded that the challenge we have in the church is that a lot of people have
eyes but cannot see. They can’t see something the way it should be, rather they
are seeing it the way it is..
It
is time we become the answer to the world.
It
is time we take our place
It
is time we be the change.
Remember
if all of us in the church do the word that we preach, our world will be
better.
Olumadewa
Adebusuyi Olutayo
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