LOVING GOODLUCK AND HATING JONATHAN

One of the beauties of democracy is that it gives everyone the right or should I say the opportunity to air their views. And you have to give it to Nigerians when it comes to saying what is on their mind. Most times they pay little attention to whether it is harmful or achieves the desired result or not.

It is a common phenomenon now for Nigerians to use democracy as a means of insulting and demeaning others, all in the name of freedom of expression. The combination of unemployment and social media can be a very destructive mechanism. The meaning of 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop' is if you don't focus your mind on something productive it's easy for hateful thoughts to fill your head. People who have nothing worthwhile to think about will usually think of something bad to do or for someone to blame for their situation.

Last year, Goodluck Jonathan set the world record for becoming the most cursed president ever. Thanks to all the wonderful people who expressed their freedom of speech on his social media page. Just imagine how tormenting it is to please a hundred and fifty thousand people not to talk of that number multiplied by one thousand; everyone with his or her own demands and expectations. That is clearly not an easy task for anyone not even when your name happens to be good luck.

If you happen to have stumbled on the president's facebook or twitter page, you will be amazed. More than half the people who throw expletives at whoever is in charge of that account (I doubt if Jonathan sees any of those garbage) are clueless as to what is going on in the country. Empty vessels do make the loudest of noise. Sometimes I wonder if the beef is of personal or national interest.

Do you ever think of what those harsh words and comments you make achieve in the end? I will tell you free of charge that it achieves nothing. Firstly, it doesn't make the President any better; he will keep acting like the leader you portray him as.

I suppose it's the same situation between us and those under us. If you have been privileged to lead at any capacity before, there is a possibility that you must have been a victim of unsatisfied subordinates. We can't even brag about meeting people's expectations of us because we disappoint them once in a while. It is hard to please everybody, don't even try.

It is funny how you are criticizing the actions of those above you while those below you are not faring better under your leadership. And the chain keeps going on and on. Okay, am sounding like a preacher now. The purpose of this article is simply to urge you to pray for the President, so that your life will be blessed and the country will flourish.

To be honest, am not in support of irresponsible leadership but I have never heard of a country where insults have made their leaders more responsible. When we say positive things about people, doesn't it affect them in the end? I should think so.

Okay, what is the solution for all the irresponsible leadership that this country is bedeviled with? The Bible exhorts us to pray for those in leadership over us, indicating that our own personal well being is tied to praying for our leaders. You don't need anyone to tell you that prayers for our leaders will make more positive impact in the country than curses. 

It sounds weird to ask you to just watch and pray right? Well, I will proffer another solution when I find anything more powerful than prayers.

SEEING THROUGH THE EYES OF GOD

I have been extremely excited for a while now and I wish I can tell you why. But not to worry, I will fill you in maybe in another year or two at the appropriate time. Meanwhile, something equally interesting happened somewhere else which I will tell you immediately. Actually, the story I am about to tell you now is more important to you than the former, and this is how it goes.

A prominent golfer Chextah Woods was invited by the Sheikh of an oil-rich country to participate in this charity golf event. The golfer jumped at accepted the invite, and was flown in for the event in the Sheikh’s private jet. The event was very successful and the Sheikh had a good time with the golfer (ermmm….It’s not what you are thinking oh). So when it was time for the golfer to return, the Sheikh informed him that it was part of their bigz boyz custom to always give a parting gift to their guests.

The golfer declined the offer can you imagine informing the Sheikh that he had been a gracious host and that he has had a terrific time (still not what you think) hence he couldn’t ask for anything more. The Sheikh insisted on giving the golfer something that will make him remember his visit. When the golfer realized that the Sheikh was unwavering, he said, "Okay, fine. I am a collector of golf clubs. Just give me a nice golf club". The Sheikh agreed to make the golf club available the moment he got back home.

So the golfer boarded the Sheikh’s private jet and on his flight back home, he couldn't help wondering what kind of golf club the Sheikh might give him (based on his performance). He imagined that it might be solid gold or diamond studded (It’s oil-rich Sheikh we are talking about here).

When the golfer got back home, he kept expecting the moment his golf club will arrive. Finally, several weeks later, he received a certified letter from the Sheikh. The golfer thought that rather strange (Okay, maybe it’s what you have been thinking) and kept wondering where the golf club was. Then he opened the envelope (ghen! ghen!!), and to his astonishment (It was not what you thought), inside it was a deed to a five-hundred-acre golf course. Apparently, the Sheikh didn’t believe such a prominent golfer would only ask for a mere golf club. He assumed it must be an entire golf club. Oh lord let all the Sheikhs responsible for my breakthrough locate me….prayer!

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the truth. Much of your happiness in life depends on how you think God values you. Sadly, many of us have an erroneous idea of God's opinion of us. We base it on what we've been taught, our bad experiences in life, and many other assumptions. We may think God is frustrated in us or that we will never measure up. We may even believe God is angry with us because no matter how much we try, we can't seem to stop disappointing him.

It is very important to know how God sees you, what he thinks of you, and what his desires are for you. The fact is that until you recognize in your heart that God really does hold you in very high esteem, it's going to be difficult to believe his promises for you. You keep singing “I have a very big God oh, who is always by my side” yet you imagine that all he can do is to put food on the table and meet your petty desires. All because you have not realized that you hold the master key to the door of your life.

Until you realize that in the eyes of God you are valuable whether you have 100,000 followers on twitter or not, you will keep settling for less and accepting everything that people life throws at you. So this is the thing, you have to start seeing yourself through the eyes of God and reap the benefits of being his Paddy friend. But here is the twist, it's not enough to just lie down and assume you will get all you desire from God, you have to be willing to prove your mettle. Remember, the golfer got a golf club because the Sheikh had a good time.

And lastly, the day you start seeing yourself through God's eyes, people's negative views and opinions about you will not count or at best matter less’ simply because in the eyes of God, you have everything.