THE FAITH LADDER

Dear diary,

"The substance of things hoped for

 The evidence of things not seen

 Without it no man can please God

 It was by it the men of old pleased him."

As a child, yours truly watched a lot of cartoons, the likes of power puff girls, courage the cowardly dog and dexters laboratory were my favorites. They made me laugh at the time and I can still remember some episodes even to this day. One of such cartons was Super book. It tells the story of two kids and their Robot friend on an adventure with the people of the holy book (do I have a witness in the house?). One beautiful episode I remember is the story of Abraham and his son, Isaac.

We have all heard the famous story of Abraham and his son, Isaac but have we really put it in perspective in relation to our daily lives?

Abraham was 100 years old when Sarah his wife gave birth to baby Isaac. First off, in a typical Nigerian setting, Sarah wouldn't have lasted that long as Abraham's wife. I mean being barren for such a long time? Abraham's people would have gone to marry like 2 more wives for him. Haba! Being rich without a heir?! It's unheard of.

Even before Isaac was born, God was always telling Abraham "I will make you a father of many nations, I will bless you..." And Abraham waited upon God still. Some of us in this present day would have gone against God's will. It sounds ridiculous to be waiting upon someone you cannot see but that was how strong Abraham's faith was.

And when Isaac was born, God now told him to use him as a sacrifice unto him. Chai! He waited for more than 50 years to have Isaac and now God was telling him to sacrifice him?? Sounds absurd yeah? But Abraham did not waiver one bit. He got up the next morning and set out for the mountains with Isaac and two servants. Along the way he told the servants to wait behind while he continued with Isaac. 

As they journeyed, Isaac asked his Abraham, "father we have the wood and the fire but there is no lamb." Abraham replied "The Lord will provide."

           

Yeah you can close your mouth now, I was also surprised too. He wasn't even sure how the day would end but still he trusted God. Let's continue.

When they got to the place of sacrifice, he built the alter and tied Isaac to it. As he drew the knife about to slay him, an angel of The Lord called out to him, 

"Lay not your hand upon him nor do him any harm. For now I know that you fear God, seeing that you have not withheld your only son from me."

Abraham looked back and saw a ram tied by its horns in the bush. Indeed, The Lord did provide!

So much faith!!! 

Is there anybody in this day and time that will offer up a child that they've be waiting for 15-20 years old for sacrifice? We normally hear people say "that was in those days, it cannot happen now..." But we still worship the same God of "those days" so what has changed? Certainly not God. 

God blessed Abraham for every step he took on the faith ladder. His blessings were so much that every time someonevtried to hurt Abraham, such a person was visited with troubles and plagues. Abraham believed God even in the most impossible situations and God never failed him. 

If he could have faith in those times when there was no insurgence, wars and insecurity how about us in this day and time? We have troubles and instead of us to trust in him we prefer to go to one native doctor that cannot take care of himself to make us rich. Like Dr R will say "Really?!"

Then again we say we have faith and we refuse to work *sigh*. Human beings have too much issues but still he loves us anyway. The good book says faith without works is dead. Abraham showed his faith through his works therefore if you want to show forth your faith, do it in works!

On a lighter note, what an awkward moment it would have been between Abraham and Isaac on their way back home after Abraham tried to kill him. 

I have shared my 2 cents on one of the things I learnt from one of my favorite cartoons. I hope you have learnt something too.

Gracias.

THE MILITARY IS RECRUITING!!!

Dear diary,

Have you heard? The military is recruiting!!!

The military consists of the navy, army, Air Force et others. They go to war and try to defend their territory. They know they may die in the process but still, they are willing to fight. They leave loved ones and families at home to go to different parts of the world to fight.  Yours truly has always dreamt of one of them as the rib finder seeing how brave et courageous they are. Now, she's no longer sure. Hypertension is not that easy to manage and having le boo out there exposed to any and all sorts is sure to raise the pressure.

I never really took time to know so much about them in the past but now I'm glad i did it because it has helped me to appreciate them more. There's a lot to learn from them. 

Their courage: even after being wounded and shot so many times, they still fight. They never go down easily, it's a fight to finish. That is pretty much different from they way we live here. The moment we see a little problem rear it's ugly head, we retreat and cry. We feel God is punishing us for our sins forgetting that nothing can ever separate us from his love. We should learn to face our challenges and problems squarely. If we run away from them, they'll come back to hunt us someday. Deal with today's problems, today.

Their unity: no matter what they go through, they stick together. They are not born of the same parents but when they are on that mountain, air or sea, they become brothers. Even when one of their men is down or wounded, they don't leave him behind. They carry him along and still fight back. In our own little world, we are not even at war with anybody and yet we are not unified. We fight with ourselves at any given chance when we should overlook the wrongs and tolerate each other. Giving our poor hearts aches and troubles when should be at peace with ourselves.

Their service: yes, they are getting paid shouldn't they serve well? But we forget that money is not everything. They remain dedicated to their call of duty which is to serve and protect. Some of us think service is about house boys and house girls but it's far from that. We can serve by helping that old woman or those little kids to cross the road. As little as sweeping your compound on a Saturday morning instead of waiting for neighbors to do so when you know they will end up not doing it, is a form of service. It's not always about how much or how far but how well. It's the little things that matter.

 

They are not all perfect as it's with other aspects of life, there are bad eggs amongst them. Try to emulate the good ones and you'll learn a lot.

Then again must we even have wars in this world of ours?! That's a story for another day.

I pray for Gods protection upon them wherever they are, may they return safely to their friends and family. Also remember that no matter the challenges you face in life, Never under fight!!!

P.S: how many of you will like to join the army? ;)

MY FELLOW WOMEN

Dear diary,

In the very little time I've spent on earth, I've seen and heard all sorts. I am a young black woman as as such, I must share some of these things with my fellow women. Seeing is believing doesn't work for me anymore because I now believe that anything and everything is possible. I promised you sweet gist in my last post, so here it is:

Yours truly was standing by the road one random afternoon waiting for cars to give way so she could cross to the other side of the road. She waited and waited but no car would allow her cross. Then she saw a beautiful Toyota Camry with a pretty lady behind the wheels. The car was almost grinding to a halt as it approached where I stood and a happy me was already smiling and murmuring thank you. As I put one foot forward trying to cross the road, le pretty lady almost ran over my right foot. I was taken aback and for about 2 minutes I couldn't recollect myself. 

I've heard stories of how women dislike each other et al but I never really took them serious. What stopped the pretty lady from allowing me to cross the road? It was not an express road so there was no need for speed. It's not the first time something like that would happen so I think it's time the issue is addressed.

This antagonizing concern amongst women doesn't end on the road. We see it at parties when two ladies incidentally wear the same clothes, they instantly become enemies. A Denzel kind of guy walks into an office and all the girls there are drooling. Dude stops by a lady's table et chats nonstop with her and before you know it, the young lady becomes everybody's enemy. You cannot play blind to the kind of look some ladies give each other when they see someone that dresses better than them. Your female coworker at the office gets a promotion and stories come out of nowhere about how she slept her way to the top, who do you think is responsible for them?. I am even more convinced now that my dear customer agent friend that wanted to frustrate me at all costs is probably one of them.

You often hear ladies say that they can never have a female as their best friend, what could be the reason? Research has proven that women who hate other women do so because of insecurity et out of jealousy. In life there's always competition and this category of women believe that for them to succeed they have to bring down the other woman.

If you ask me, I think it's just a generational mentality that is passed on from one mother to her daughter. A young girl watches her mum talk spitefully about another woman and she begins to see it as the norm. If you want to change something you have to start with yourself. Make up your mind to love your fellow woman despite her flaws and slowly but surely, she'll return the favor.

Is it all in my head? Do you have any experiences? Does this happen with guys too? I need answers diarlings 😊

HOW MAY I HELP YOU PLEASE?

...that's usually the response whenever you call a company or an institution to make an enquiry or a complaint. It may be a male or a female voice but be rest assured you'll be greeted warmly.

Customer service in Nigeria has grown over the years. We have metamorphosed from screaming at customers on the line in irritation to patiently listening or smiling as the customer complains and complains. Some people have still refused to embrace change for the better. You walk into some banks and the look the customer care agent gives you is enough to delete the question or complaint from your head. 

I tried calling a telecommunications network call center a while back and it ended pretty ugly. To get an agent on line was a struggle. When somebody finally picked, i was greeted warmly (that I cannot deny) but when I explained the reason for my call, the agent seeing that it had to do with money (credit deduction et al) suddenly took offense, changed his tone and started addressing me like I was a liar and a thief. I was still explaining myself, trying not to get angry but when he started raising his voice at me, an irked me hung up and sent a strong worded email to the network provider and it was sorted out. 

I was involved in one of such dilemma's again a couple of weeks back (I don't know why they are chasing me). This time I wanted to register my sim. First off, the lady wasn't looking happy seeing me. I had to greet her before she could answer me. She kept me waiting for a while and just carried on like I wasn't there. While I was waiting, a guy came to make a credit transfer and the lady's face lit up like a candle in the middle of the night. She kept on smiling and smiling, even offering him sweets for the 10 minutes he had been there. She chatted with him and laughed all the while he was there.

When she was through with him, she finally had time for me. With her expressionless face, she asked me to fill a form. After filling the form, it was time for registration proper. Transferring the details to the data base was war. She kept telling me I didn't fill the right thing, I didn't write it properly...bla bla bla, like I was a novice. After satisfying my conscience that I wasn't at fault, I picked up my bag and left without saying a word. I finally registered my sim in another place.

Was she having a bad day? Did she not like my face? These are some of the unanswered questions in my head till this day. Even if they were answered in the affirmative, does work ethics not state that she should still attend to me in the right manner against all odds? Yes, we are humans and we aren't wired the way machines are but I think our best should be put forward at all times. 

If you apply for a job, the least you could do is make enquiries about that job. If you feel you can't work like that, you can learn on the job. If you are always angry with the world and you decide to take a customer care agent job then you know some things must change about you. In giving we receive. Love your job and it will love you back.

Thinking about it now I think she's one of those women that dislike their fellow women. Hmmm that reminds me, I have sweet gist for you! Just read it in my next post.

ADDICTIONS!!!

Dear diary,

 

It's page 11 of our 365 paged best seller,  2014. Happy new year!!! How has the book been so far? Any intriguing moments? Don't worry we still have a long way to go. The holidays are over and now it's time to work. The road traffic is back people, brace yourselves.

 

Going about my normal daily routines, I observe a lot of things (call me the observer if you like). A lot of issues are rampant in our environment but people shy away from talking about them in the open e.g addictions.

According to Merriam-Webster, a strong and harmful need to regularly have something or do something, is termed Addiction. As human beings, there's an unending craving for all sorts ranging from food, money, alcohol, drugs, smoking, sex et the likes but it's normal. It becomes an addiction when this craving is characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal. It may be a habit, drug or substance.

 

Take for instance the most common thing associated with addiction: hard drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana.Initially, it gives some sort of 'satisfaction' to the user but in the long run, the side effects are disadvantageous. It gives a certain boost to the user's ego and the person walks about proud and able to talk to anyone, anyhow. With time and use, the person becomes the opposite of what he/she used to be. They lose weight and are always looking tired because of loss of appetite and sleep deprivation which are the side effects of these drugs. They start demanding for money, giving all sorts of excuses. They become secretive and solitary. Let's not forget the effect this user's 'transformation'would have on the family. A family that has never experienced such before will treat the user as an outcast or curse on the family.

 

People use drugs for a lot of reasons, to each one his own. Some get into this quagmire beacause of pressure from friends or even curiousity. Others because of low self esteemand insecurity.

 

In controlling this addiction, a lot of sacrifices have to be made. Such a person needs rehabilitation, change of environment, counselling and family support. Yes, there would be withdrawal symptoms so be prepared for that. You can't stop the person from taking the drugs at once, this could turn the person into a psychiatric patient. You start the recovery process by reducing the amount/ quantity of drug, the user is exposed to and watch the response. Gradually, tolerance of the drug can be regulated and with time the user would overcome it. There's an 85 percent chance that the user will recede to the vomit, that's when change of environment and family support will be useful. Cut yourself from fellow users and stay away from places where these drugs are sold.

 

It may take months, it may take years but with courage, dedication et consistency, recovery will be successful. In this part of the world, drug addiction is seen as an abominationand this is totally wrong. The earlier we come to terms with it and gain knowlege about it, the better for us.

 

Like I said at the beginning, there are different forms of addiction and getting out of them isn't easy. The first part of solving a problem is to understand that there is a problem. First admit that you are an addict and help will come your way.

 

I'm addicted to my diary is that a bad thing? I don't think so :).

 

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Any experience on this topic? Pls share in the comment box.

MY OPEN LETTER TO YOU

As it's the season of open letters in our dear country, i've decided to write one to you. Yes, you! Stop looking back, i'm talking to you!

I'm constrained to make this an open letter to you for a number of reasons.

One, I am too excited to keep within me, the joy of seeing the end of another year. Two, the year wouldn't end on a good note if I don't acknowledge people like you that have helped to make it a success. Three, I sense a better year ahead and it's imperative that I share a few tips that may aid it's success.

With its pros and cons, 2013 visited us and is about going the way of it's predecessors. There were low points and even melting points but the fact that you are reading this letter is an assurance that there is still hope. 

An eventful year it has been. Between the  examinations, conferences, walkathons, seminars and programmes, I can't really point one that outdid the other. They are all events that I won't be forgetting in a long while. I learnt a lot during each event and I believe they'll be useful in the coming year.

Diary faithfuls, you guys have been awesome. Even when laziness and writers block tried to keep me away from you, the comments and views kept coming in. This is where I pen my 2 cents on certain issues and it's magnificent that someone, somewhere takes time and mb to open it. I Really appreciate your dedication this year and I trust it'll be stronger in the coming year. 

I came across a lot of people this year. People I used to watch from a distance are now close. For support et encouragement when life happened, yours truly is grateful. Mentioning names doesn't do justice to the love showered on me. All I can say is may you also find help in your time of need.

You may have lost loved ones this year, to the hands of the grim reaper and it's seems like your world has crashed. You have to gather the pieces of your life and press on. When you make progress, you can feel it in your heart that they are happy with you wherever they are.

I learnt a lot of things this year: assumption is the lowest level of knowledge. If you don't know something or someone you ask before you assume. 

Have a mind of your own. Don't be cajoled or pushed into what you don't want to do. It doesn't always make you look good. You may end up hurting yourself and others on the process. Trying to please everybody is an unending task because humans are insatiable. If you can, by all means do what is being asked of you. If you can't, try and make the other party understand. Let your yes be yes and your no, be no!

I came to understand the value of friendship. You need certain people in your life to push you forward. No man is an island. You may be lacking in some aspects of life and all that is needed is that tiny push from a friend. If your friends are not adding any value to your life, then you are loosing your values. Time is of the essence. Make good use of your time. It is your most valuable possession. Once it's gone, you can never get it back.

Finally, we have gone through 2013 despite its ups and downs. The mistakes and regrets should be assessed and avoided in the coming year. Love freely and hold no grudges. Life is too short for all of that. Live, learn,love.

Gracias.

Yours truly,

ROYAL BABY

Dear Diary,

It’s that time of the year again. Love is in the air. People are exchanging gifts, travelling and generally in a joyful mood. I want to crave your indulgence to read this story as you tear that piece of meat with your canine. ENJOY!

The birth of the royal baby took place under these circumstances:

His mother Maria engaged to Josephat, before they came together, was found to be pregnant through the power of a spirit. Her fiancée Josephat, being a gentleman, did not want to disgrace her so he decided to dump her quietly. As he was thinking this over, a spirit visited him in his dream,

“Josephat! David pikin! Wetin you dey think so?! No fear to marry Maria with her belle o. the pikin wey she go born go get power wella. Na bonboy she go born and you go call am Emma, which mean say baba God dey for our side. Na him go save all dose people wey don dey do bad bad thing all these years. No fear o!”

Josephat woke up from his sleep and did as the spirit said. He took Maria as his wife. He had no sexual relation with her until she gave birth to the baby.

There were some astrologers in the land on a journey from the east and an angel appeared to them saying;

“no fear o! na beta gist I dey bring una today. e get one baby wey dem go born today, na him go save the whole world. Na expo I dey give una so. Make una go find am, dem wrap the baby for wrapper, e dey inside one small hut.”

Now the baby was born in the days of Otunba,the notorious and power drunk king of Jerusha. The astrologers from the east came to Jerusha and inquired;

“where the king wey dem born? We done see him star dey shine tey tey and we don come hail am o, na so we find am come, wey am?”

When Otunba heard this, he was disturbed. A child that would dethrone him? Impossible! He called a meeting of the magicians and wizards in the land and asked them where the baby would be born and they replied;

“dem go born am for boko in Jerusha. Na so dem pastor talk.”

Otunba then sent for the astrologers and asked them questions about the child. Then he sent them to Boko saying;

“ make una go find dat pikin! find am!. Wen una find am, make una halla me, make I come hail am too.”

The astrologers continued their journey. They followed the star until it stood over the place where the child was. Excited, they went into the house and saw the baby with his mother Maria. They fell on their knees and worshipped the baby. Then they opened their bags and gave him gifts of gold, myrhh and frankincense. An angel warned them in their dream not to go back to Otunba but to return to their country using  a different route.

When they had gone, an angel appeared unto Josephat telling him to carry Maria and the baby to Egolo, a faraway village and hide them because Otunba wanted to kill the baby. When Otunba realized that he had been deceived by the astrologers, he directed that all the male children in Boko be killed, hoping that junior will be killed too. Years later, Otunba died and Josephat took his family to a small town called Nazir and there he raised junior in the way of the Lord.

THE END.

The birth of Jesus Christ brought peace and salvation into the world. As we celebrate his birth this season, lets remember to show love to those around us. Family, friends, neighbors, orphans, widows and the less privileged around us all deserve love. Expression of this love unites us in him.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

GUESS WHO GOT FEATURED!

Dear diary,

Christmas is in the air!!!

So we are rounding up another year, what else can I say but thank God? Yours truly got an early Christmas gift this year. I got featured on a popular blog and I'm very happy sharing it with you guys. It's my little 2013 review. I couldn't reblog it since it's a wordpress blog but all the same ENJOY!!!

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A special kinda friend  Enjoy!

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2013!!!

I screamed and shouted my lungs out on the 1st of January this year. I had hopes, plans, expectations, desires et al. I committed them into Gods hands and I set to work. I didn’t do the traditional new year resolution thing because it usually doesn’t see the light of the second month of the year. I decided to live each day as it comes, afterall man proposes and God disposes. It has been a “stageful” year for me: the working phase, the resting phase and the back to work phase.

I gallantly walked into this year with examinations on my mind. With all the scary stories I heard about the examination, my eating, sleeping, thinking were exam based. Life happened and I passed at the end so I’m grateful to God. My birthday this year was celebrated in the exam hall, under duress and stress. Its one birthday I won’t be forgetting in a long time. I couldn’t even eat well. Thank God for my roommates that remembered it was my birthday and cooked for me. Even if the birthday wasn’t celebrated in the way many would have expected, I still remain thankful to God that he added a year to my life here.

Le Blog!!! It has been running for sometime now and its growing. I couldn’t write for a while during the year and I thought people would forget about it. I returned to it and the response was tremendous. I don’t even have to post the link so many times now, all I do is just put up the link and someone, somewhere would read it and share. Also, I passed the 5,000 views mark  For that I’m grateful. My writing is getting better, I now write poems  . Yeah, I once said I would never do that but you never know when the wind of change would blow across your face.

I met a lot of people this year. For someone that is very reserved I can say I did well in growing the circle of people I know. I took part in the World Record Tooth brushing Challenge and it was a success. I went for conferences, walkathons, programmes, seminars et all (Now, you know I’m adventurous).

My self-teaching language classes are still ongoing. Learning french et German together. My siblings tease me that I’m speaking gibberish but I don’t currrrrrrr….:). I can now drive, at least I’m sure I won’t crash a car (toy-car actually).

Ma famille has been great. They’ve been supportive and objective when needed. They helped to make my 2013 memorable. Its true that you can’t choose the family you are born into but I’m satisfied with heavens choice for me.

It wasn’t a challenge free year for me. What’s life without challenges? The ability to face challenges and overcome them, makes life worth living.

2013 was a gradual process year for me, everything happened at its own pace. I look forward to a better 2014. God took me through 2013 and he will see me through again. I hope to grow in every aspect (weight not inclusive) and learn new things. I’m also expectant that the man whose rib I’m holding, will come and ask for his missing rib 

Share!

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Seasons Greetings from Perryz tots!

THIS MONEY MATTER

Dear diary, 

It's a money show around the world today. Artistes are spraying the crispy notes in their music videos like it's going out of fashion. Sugar daddies and mummies are using it to keep their partners in check and Street walkers are smiling to the bank by trading their bodies for it. Le boos' are struggling day in and out to make the money so that they can keep their girl friends and the rich husbands are trying to make more money so that they can maintain the trophy wife at home. 

Those who have enough want more, those who don't have, can kill to have it. Is there an end to this search for money? Some people have died by hanging while some have been sentenced to life imprisonment all because of money. Some work all their lives, saving and economizing this precious money only to be killed in an accident, leaving the money for someone else to enjoy. Dignities have been lost and closed doors have been opened, all because of money. It's good to save money but it doesn't stop you from treating yourself right once in a while (if you can afford it). What is life about if we don't take risks?

Money can also be a test of true friendship. Over the years, it has been the major cause of enmity between some friends and it has also helped to unmask pretenders. People that were humble when they had nothing, suddenly become proud (with pleasure) when the money starts rolling in.

Being rich is not a sin after all the Holy book says it is the LOVE of money (greed) that is the root of all evil. If you can, make all the money that can be made but do share with others (orphanages, disabled people e.t.c) once in a while .

Here are some comparisons on what money can and cannot do. Enjoy!

Money can buy you a house but not a home

Money can buy you food but not appetite

Money can buy you clothes but not style

Money can buy you books but not brains

Money can buy you drugs but not health

Money can buy a sofa but not comfort

Money can buy you make-up but not beauty

Money can get you a woman but not a wife

Money can buy you a bed but not sleep....

I would have said money can't buy happiness but like my friend always says "money can't buy you happiness but it's better to cry in a Bentley than in an encroached beetle". 

I'll also like to see your tangible and intangible comparisons on what money can and cannot buy. Please share.

Gracias.

THE PREGNANT VIRGIN

Dear diary,

As amazing as conceiving is

Being a pregnant maiden can be shocking

Consilience becomes a daily routine

Doing all to find out what happened

Everyday you wake up to queries 

From people you do and do not know

Going out you hear tattles about

How loose and crass you've become

Irrespective of what really happened

Judgement is based on societal muse

Knowledge from what they see and hear

Labour of love is what I call it

Moving into a new phase of my life

New blood is growing within me

Only way out is through

Pregnant as I am

Questions will always come

Rare as it is, it must be done

Surrogacy is what it's called

Telling all who care to know

Unabridged version of my story

Virgin that got gravid without coitus

Well-defined is my mission

Xenogeneic is what is inside me

Yes, I am ready

Zero hour has come!