Time To Yan Again!

When was the last time we took time off our schedules to contemplate on what really defines us? What defines our criteria for success and achievements in Life? What do we understand by the saying "Living a fulfilled life”?

Things we have seen and heard almost all our lives often inform the decisions we make. We want to be like, or at best out-do all those Social Media slay queens and kings, we set goals with target, need to hold a Bachelors or Masters at certain age; the need to be CEO of “ekusie-Okwu” company Int. Married with beautiful family…etc. There is a default urge to be highly successful and recognised as an 'achiever' in life. There is nothing wrong with this urge; actually, I think it is 'God-given'. However, how we go about attaining these goals and what we define as "success" is what should bother us.

Events in the last couple of years made me stop for a while to reminisce. I ask myself, "what do I really want out of life”. Like most of us, I had set goals and priorities...and pursued these studiously...with every right intentions to peharps change the world around me with what I was able to achieve. I thought since my intentions were 'good' God should endorse it...Lol. Sometimes we get so carried away with life...trying to live...that we forget to understand that it is not about us. Not how we want to get it done, but all about what God has designed for us.

We get broken in our life hustles, loose support of things and people we thought were divine steps towards achieving our goals. At first, we run, then we walk and then…we crawl to the Place where we realise the Truth. Where we understand that it is time to let God have His way. This is the place where we truly begin to live.

It is a place where we lose ourselves, where we get tired of meeting up with standards and expectations set by people around us and the society. The place David described as "still waters". Where like little children (that we all are before God) we learn to lean absolutely on God. We start seeking what God wants, instead of "what we want". At this place, we start aligning and pursuing our dreams according to God's will, not bothered about living to please people, to proof 'haters' wrong, to 'pepper them', or being afraid of Jesus’ second coming or even death, because we know we are right in the centre of God's purpose for our lives.

This is a call to look inwards and start learning to appreciate the blessings of God in our lives, which comes in the strangest packages.

• When was the last time we looked with warm smiles into the eyes of our children, spouses, parents, ailing friends or relatives, held their hands or hugged them tight...not necessarily saying a word?.
• When was the last time we made people that mattered most to us understand that we really care for them...through our acts?
• When was the last time we thought about helping someone we don't even know, but whose paths crossed with ours...without putting it on Social Media for aggrandisement?
• When was the last time we sacrificially and truly cared?

 Our purpose and work in life is most times wrapped in these often-neglected parcels. The things we take for granted can be the very key that unlocks our destinies. Selah.