The Disadvantages of 'Second Chance'

There is a catch here, I mean with the chosen title of this long-overdue writing from my stable. First of all, I have to tell you that the title came about after my time listening to Whitney Houston's latest album. She still sounds her old self but a bit weak. Good a thing, I'm not a critic of that genre of the entertainment world but I have been an ardent listener and fan of the old lady before her avoidable fall from grace. The other day in my status comment on Facebook, I wrote that we should all hold on to the grace because once it is lost, we stand displaced and disgraced. But now, the notion of Second Chance(s) has cast a bit of doubt on that claim. One can now eat his/her cake and have some of them back it seems I am saying.
Now, don't you get carried away with any of these assertions. Something gives once you fall from grace to something everyone finds disgusting. You should count yourself lucky when you suffer a fall and get back on your feet once again. Now you will agree with me that this whole thing has a ring of confusion to it. My drift here is the fact that we should always strife to maintain space on high moral pedestrian. No one is a saint or an angel anyway, hence my push for going out of our ways to make sure we keep the light of our lives burning on top the table for the world to see.
Whitney Houston did nothing wrong in going out of her way to get a man of her dream in spite of the age-difference. What went wrong with her is not the burden of this write-up but we can always learn from her travails and thank God she was able to get back to grace.
The disadvantages of 'Second Chance' involve among other things - loss of respect from people who use to see you as their hero, that initial grace and the fact that you are never the same after your experience. It is on the inside. Some people who came back from fall from grace end up becoming such ambassadors of the cause of their fall from grace so that other people would learn from their mistakes.
Please pray, don't be a victim of second chance.

Smile Ambassador!

There is nothing like a smile beamed into your face like that of an innocent child whom you just met and the child falls in love with you.
Have you noticed the thrill that comes with receiving a smile from a child you never knew from the word go? It is shocking as much as it is re-assuring. It sets up a fire inside of you and eats you up even when the entire world is sitting on your shoulders.
I could remember the day I was simply downcast due to issues at place of work I couldn't help understand. Not even my beloved friends on facebook could take away the gloom cast all over me with their funny jokes and comments. When my comfortable office became haunting, I decided to step outside and get some fresh air. As soon as I had walked out into the street through the entrance gate of my place of livelihood, a child of four years left his mothers guiding hand and ran into me. I was both shocked and thrilled at the same time. Shocked because I wasn't expecting such show of love from anyone moreso, a child of four. Thrilled because such show of emotion was exactly what took away my gloom. When I looked up at the mother of my new-found friend, she beamed an encouraging smile and I gave the youngman a befitting swing up into the air. He screamed hysterically in joy that I was forced to bring him down but he wouldn't want me to stop. I obliged him even as his mother cautioned him to let 'uncle' have his 'peace'
I couldn't but smile and kept on smiling as I exchanged pleasantries with the my new friend's mother. She told me he son is not always like that. Hmmm! She maintained that I must have been a great friend of children to which I answered in the affirmative.
When I looked back at my new friends, the boy kept on waving at me departing figure and I waved back.
I learnt a lot from the child. It's not a bad thing to smile even when you are down. No matter the situation in which you find yourself, always spare the world a smile.
Have I told you yet? I am now seeing myself as Nigeria's first Smile Ambassador! Why not join me?

Eschewing the Hate Syndrome

I have spent my time researching why people 'hate at sight' To start with, 'hate at sight' simply means hating someone you never met before but might have heard one or two thing(s) about him/her. You don't need to know much about that person. All you are interested in is in hating the poor dear man/woman simply because they are not your type - class-wise and more.
Why would people go out of their way to hate for the sake of hating?
My research tells me they are just empty personalities. Something about that person upsets you. Perhaps, the person appears stronger than you, more pretty than you, more educated than you are, more successful than you will ever imagine. As soon as you sight this unlucky fellow (by your standard), you just do everything humanly possible to make him/her feel sorry for ever coming close to you.
In the heart of the person you are vilifying, he or she might not even look at you in that regard, but some sensitive people who notice hostility fast would try to get out of your way or do something to actually get you blow your top.
Now, you never knew much about this person other than the fact that he or she has something you can't or might have. It all boils down to envy. ENVY! This social disease has eaten deep into the hearts of many that they don't see what they are doing as sinful.
Have you bothered to ask yourself if there are things you stand to learn from the 'hated one' if you could be more appreciative of God's grace radiating inside of that person when you get close eschewing envy?
Life has taught me that it is not always those you are that close to that give you all the help you need in getting on in life. Sometimes you run into a stranger in a bus and something engages the interest of you two and consequently, friendship is born and this sort of friendship is even sweeter when you begin to reap the bountiful blessings coming form liking people the way they are irrespective of whether they are of same status in life with you.
Please my dears, learn to be down-to-earth and stop turning away angels from your life. You never can tell one, so learn to be more engaging and receptive socially.

Never Too Late To Learn

What I have observed in the course of my studying various behaviours of fellow human beings is their ability to un-learn good characters.
A friend I was chatting on Facebook the other day told me he is tired of being a nice guy. According to him, it doesn't pay at all. He is saying that he is better off being a bad guy or better still, a scorpion in human shield so that he can afford to give people who mess with him the pay-back treatment. I was not shocked by his outburst. I simply asked him to clarify his claims to me. He told me how he was of good help to a friend when that friend was in need and how now that he is in need, that same friend has refused to help him out.
Waoh! Now, that is unfair to say the least. Why are people becoming this awful nowadays, I asked. It is simply unpleasant to forget someone who helped you when you needed help more than you needed oxygen. It sends jitters down ones spine and chills the mind when you remember such ingrate.
My point here is that we should not stop from being nice to people simply because one of them or a few more have paid you for the good deeds done them in bad coin. It has been happening even before God considered your creation. In the bible, we are told of ten men down with leprosy who received helaing from Jesus Christ Himself. They all left for their various homes jubilating, and it was only one out of ten of them that had a rethink that caused him to go back to Jesus to give thanks.
I told my friend that I have had such experiences in the past but I'm yet to stop reaping from the peace of mind it gives me whenever I have been of help to someone even when that help comes in form of a heaalthy smile into someone's eyes.
So my friends, it is never too late to learn to keep up with letting go of the good in us. Thank God you are found worthy of help by anybody out there. As God have made you important to be of help to one of His own, you don't think He'll let you lack?
Remember the cliche that says 'givers never lack' It is truthful, they never lack. You might be in lack but somehow, God sends you His help. Think about all that you have achieved in life and tell me the number of them you achieved in the midst of plenty.
Have a good rethink on this and learn to spread help to all who need them.

A Reason To Be Thankful

"When the world gives you a reason to be sad, stare them in the face and show them you have a thousand reasons to be happy." This is a saying that many of us must have read over and over again and have come to assimillate its real meaning.
Life is known to every adult mind for its zig-zagly nature when it comes to what comes our way. Many atimes we have bad things come upon us and by the time we are able to wear-off there shocking after-effects, we have lost sight of all the good things our Maker have always assailed out paths with.
The implication of the above is the fact that we have given the world the picture that reads loud: "there is no cause to be happy at all in life!"
We start wearing long faces and trying to let everybody know that we have a lot weighing down on our shoulders as well as wearing our minds hollow.
Something happened to my isp on Monday thereby scuttling with my contribution in my place of work - a media firm. The pressure piled up and the internet just couldn't get better. Then I decided to visit a cyber cafe on Tuesday to salvage the situation, but that happened to be my achilles heels. The speed was absolutely terrible. That was when I couldn't take it anymore. I voiced it out on my facebook page that I was going through so much stress. My friends were surprised that soemone of my background could loose it too and assailed my status with their worries and concerns for me.
Thank God I realised on time that someone out there believes in what I'm trying to achieve through this medium (my blog) hence, I changed my status to "I'm on top of my game." Now I have given my friends cause to be happy with me too.
To God be the glory!

Always Say Your Prayers

Many atimes, we allow the vagaries of life to induce us into coma while we look on in chronic bewilderment with the way life has been treating us and refuse to look inwards to figure out a reason -at worst - to thank God in our daily prayers.
I have gone through many experiences handed down to me by life - my existence, that I have come to realize albeit, not painstakingly, that with prayers, a human being irrespective of your creed or religion would walk through the valleys of death, hunger, denial, sorrows and all what-nots and remain steadfast. Even when you stumble and remember that you have the Almighty one always by your side, you will simply connect with the high heavens to get things going your way.
Most times we have experienced delays from the Heavenly Throne of Grace but I want a reader of this short text to always be steadfast in prayers. That is the key that opens God's heart and ears to your supplications.
You don't have to wait till you are undergoing pains and frustrations in life before you communicate with God in all humility. Doing that would amount to laziness and simply gives you out to God as a very selfish creation of His.
In every situation you find yourself in life, give thanks and always say your prayers.

I Want To Listen To Myself!

Like you might have guessed wrongly, I am not in love with hearing myself talk not to talk of caring to see if the sound of my voice has changed for the worse or better.

I am actually opining about the innermind and inner voice - the one that is called the guiding angel or conscience - the Silent One. Depending on your belief, you have the right to accept my drift this morning as I'm in the spirit to listen to myself.

Most times I have had the honour of listening to my inner mind and have come out feeling on top of the world simply because God helped me to be an obedient creation of His whenever He sends His angel to guide me aright.

Unfortunately, this innermind plays tricks on people because of the fact that it lacks the ability to be loud hence, it always ends up being pushed to the back. That is the reason we hear such things like; "Oh my God! Something told me to do it this way and I refused to listen! and, 'Had I known?"

Please save these for the real time. Real time being the time you set aside to listen to whatever your innermind has to communicate you. It is not only pastors that have the exclusive reserve to have and enjoy Quiet Time. Do yourself a favour and pamper yourself to a quiet time.

Whatever it is that is giving you sleepless nights, take time out and rummage over it (them) in your mind and figure out those ones your innermind is telling you to do. Take note of them and take heed.

Funny enough, those things your innermind is telling you are usually the things that would cause you to say...."over my dead body!" So you see why the innermind is not an interesting burden to bear? Yet, the innermind is your best friend sent to you from above to keep you human. When you say over your dead body, the innermind is given a red card from the referee of your life which is you.

Most times, we are simply stubborn if only to show our traducers that we have the mind to show them the stuff we are made of. Looking inside of you, you'll see the innermind feeling uncomfortable and getting ready to leave you alone as It does not dwell in a dirty place called an unforgiven and stubborn heart.

Just the other day, someone wronged me and I said in my mind that if only this guy would apologise promptly to me, that he would be forgiven. Unfortunately, he is yet to do that to the point that my mind clamped up on him. Resentment! My innermind screamed.

I battled the innermind of mine to a standstill until I did what He required of me. That was when I secured my peace back. All the while the battle raged on the inside between the good guy in me and the bad guy in me, there was no peace for me to the point of feeling weak in the early hours of yesterday until I had reconciled with my traducer within me first before giving him a call and everything was settled just like my innermind had suggested.

Phew! I am now free because I listened to my innermind. You too can try that today.

A Great Quote To Make You Think

"On the whole, it is patience which makes the final difference between those who succeed and those who fail in all things. All the greatest people have it in an infinite degree and among the less, the patient weak ones always conquer the impatient strong." John Ruskin

Learning To Be Humble

It is obvious that humility is a term that does not exist in our vocabularies anymore how much more having to show acts of humility in our daily living.

In Nigeria today, when a young man stumbles on fortune, his new status becomes a symbol of intimidation and a clothe to asphyxiate everything that use to show humility in his once humble life. The newly acquired status becomes a symbol of everything disgusting and disrespecful and, heaven help those who don't know the young man has 'arrived', his new status would be shoved down your throat and surely be made to stuck in your anus.

In a society devoid of humble youths, what is the future of that generation that the yester-gone generations would most likely fall back on when they are old to get the joy from knowing their youths are humble? Humility comes with respect and when humility is gone, there goes respect too. What fainty trace of humility that would be existing and coming in cracked patches would be selective humility.

So, how does a youth born in this age of arrogance and disrespectfulness do to ensure he/she is as humble as they should?

Start by re-orientating yourself. In other words, learn to stay clear of the crowd. Nothing corrupts easiest nowadays as joining the bandwagon all in the spirit of 'belonging'. That's crap! The effects of peer-group pressure is what every parent should look out for in their children - be they teenagers or youths.

Another way of getting to acquire the art of humility is by learning to show compassion to those who deserve your compassion. They might be the elderly ones and the handicapables.

Thirdly, you can learn to use such words as: please, thank you, you are welcome etc.

Another way is allowing yourself to let other people air their views on anything that is a topic for all. Be more of a listener than a talker. Learn not to fall in love with hearing the sound of your voice all the time.

On the fifth lane is compelling yourself to smile even when you have no course to be smiling. A tough one? Nay! Someone would definitely be blessed seeing that there are people out there who still smile in this age of global financial meltdown.

And the last and definitely not the least is prayers. Learn to say your prayers to God whenever the evil of arrogance comes to take away your humility from you.

Now, don't you think you are already improved by reading this piece? Lookout for that change in you and pray yourself into being humble for through that way, you stand to live life like a child who is free from worries and other vagaries of walking your own side of the STAGE.

A Great Quote From Mother Theresa

"It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into the doing that matters."

Mother Theresa.

Need I say more? This calls for dedication and passion for whatever we set out to do in life so that our footprints would be left to remember us for our contribution(s) to humanity. My cousin Chiamaka likes this saying..."whatever is worth doing, should be done right and well."

Another New Month, Another New You!

Now you have been wondering how you survived the month of February after all your posturings and pessimistic sneerings on life. Are you surprised that you were able to make it into the month of March? After all that February forced down your throat, you are here, breathing and looking forward to making it to the end of March. To some people, this is a very long month - what with the five sundays its harboring? To others, its a month of more accomplishments and unusual favours. To me, it is a month of marching forward to greater things that life has always have in stock for us.

Come out of your smudged thinking that there is no water inside your life's glass. What about those who don't have a glass at all and they are still smiling and believing God? You are complaining that things are pretty tight because of the economic global meltdown and because of that, there is no peace in your life. What you have presently is far better than what people who didn't make it into today have crammed up in their dead specimen. That you are still alive shows God's supremacy and the fact that His reason for creating you is yet to be made manifest. Instead of bemoaning your fate and weakening your relationship with God, why not you go down on your knees and remind Him to remember His words that everything that comes out of His mouth is more important to Him than the existence of the planet earth. Pray and pray always and God's ears would be opened to your supplications.

My prayer for you in this month of marching forward is that you would end up eating your words of anger directed towards God in His time and share that kind of testimony you have always yearned for. Yes, you can!

Another new month, another new you! That is the spirit my beloved! All the best!

A Quote To Inspire U

"You have to believe in yourself and that inner confidence has a way of affecting other people. Confidence is a natural inner resource that can be summoned whenever you want it."

Rob Klatte

I Thank You Lord! (A Poem)

The first time I cried my lungs to life
You have taken it from there to keep me alive

What more could be more showing
of your love for my humble parenting

It has never been easy
But at every phase of my life, u have made things easy

Through nursery school
through primary school

through secondary school

And now how many schools

You didn't stop in laxity

You took me through the university

And now
I wear no frown

Because you have made me
To be everything good that i want to be.

Have You Discovered The Reason?

From my interactions with people of lately, I have come to understand that there are still souls out there who are yet to figure out the reason(s) why they were created in the first place. It has become a big challenge to me when it comes to sitting down and making time out of my tight schedule to chat such challenged people up so as to help them arrive at what has been staring them in their faces since they learnt to think for themselves. Thank God, I have stopped from feeling disturbed by people who call me up to ask one question or more that has been bothering them even at odd times. I have come to accept that I have a calling to administer free councelling to those in need of my kind of ministration.

I am sorry to have been so busy for two weeks now not to have written on anything on my blog.

Coming to helping people discover the reason why God in His infinite wisdom have them created is topic that I have done my best to espouse using succint expressions even in my contributions in the youth-biased magazine - YouthAge Magazine, where I handle the motivation column, I have always made it clear that there are a lot of things one can discover through fasting and praying.

You might be wondering why there are still people who are yet to figure this approach to their challenge(s) out, but it is real and constant that there are people who don't know about the efficacy of prayers and that of the heaven door-opening key of fasting sessions from time to time. Not every person walking the surface earth knows that there is need for prayers. The thinking is that they never asked to be created by God, and therefore, God should be up and doing and meet His responsibilities by them. Hahahaha!

I use to be scratching from pillar to post, thinking that I am on the right road not until I went down on my knees and asked God certain salient but pertinent questions regarding my sojourn here. When He answered me, I was baffled because it meant reversal of career-path and more. Accepting this God's verdict became another seemingly insurmountable challenge. But here I am today, testifying that I have tasted God's help in getting me walk the right path He construed for me on the day I was created. I am happy to announce to you that I have figured out His reason for creating me. And this is one of them.

In other to get down to this figuring-out of God's reason for you, the answer is simple. Go on your knees and wrestle with God until you are sure you are hearing His voice. Also ask Him to make sure that when you hear anything, It's going to be His voice and not some devil playing on your spiritual imaginations. Mind you, there is spiritual manipulation we all know as witchcraft out there, so you have to ask specifically for a tell-tale sign when God is revealing His reasons for creating you.

It is from there that you will be certain about who you are and what you have to offer humanity. Whatever it is, please, don't look down on it, simply outstretch your arms and accept it with every sense of humility and contentment. Thank God it is in the bible when you are adviced not to forget your days of humble beginning.

Now, go and do some knee bending excercise because you have to show God some seriousness and you'll surely receive at the end of the day.

I wish you the best.

Take This Quote Seriously!

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up."

by John Andrew Holmes.

Have you reached out and shown someone some love by helping that fellow achieve his/her life best and biggest dream? That dream might end up touching your life and other people's lives if u did. Why not reach out and lift someone up today?

The month of love is here with us, let us do the right thing while we share and receive love.

Welcome to the month of February.

There Is Power In Your Beliefs

It's a new year, and I want you to know that what you set out to achieve this year are in your thoughts and words. Try the trick below...

I urge you to take in a slow, even, and gentle breath and relax your mind. As your mind quietens, try and connect with the presence of your high self. Try and recognize your uniqueness and give thanks that there is no other person who is exactly like you.

Affirm that you have a purpose in life and in the world. Don't forget to thank God for the many opportunities you have to share your special self with others and leave your unique imprint on the world.

Visualize yourself going through your day knowing that your interactions with people, animals, and nature are unique and important to the world. Combine these images with the feelings of joy and let them go, knowing they will create the good things you are visualizing and thinking.

My Prayer For You Today And Always

1. You will find favour with someone you don't expect.

2. You will be too relevant to be ignored.

3. You will encounter GOD and will never remain the same.

4. The grace for completion will come on you, you shall be blessed till the blessed call you blessed.

5. The hand that will send this message to others shall not Labour in vain.

6. The mouth saying ''Amen'' to this prayer shall laugh forever ....Amen!

Not Male Enof...!

This title came to me this morning while i was cleaning my house. So permit me if it sounds kinda corrupt. So what? You are not male enough to own up to your mistakes. You are not male enough to use the words in this sentence..."I am sorry."

To be honest with you, it behoves on you as the man and head of the family to always own up to your mistakes by using the three letter sentence already stated above. It strengthens your marriage and waters the garden of your love-life. If you are already with children, they are all ears and watching as well as learning from the arrogance that most fathers are known to exhibit in their dealings in their homes.

Your wife deserves all the respect she can get from you as through that, you are communicating your children the true spirit of love, respect for a woman and peace in the family. Peace to our homes is a veritable line we ahould all involve in our daily prayers and supplications to God Almighty.

And I say it again, be male enof to own up to your mistakes by saying sorry. Only real males will understand my drift and imbibe it in their daily family life.

Be humble as everybody in your home knows you are the head of the family already even when your wife is challenging your authority.

Too tough..? That will be topic for later writing. Just keep a date with me here.

A Quote For U

"There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon oursleves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go."

By Richard Bach

Therefore, you have no excuses to offer in your present situation than to ask God for a turn-around. Every situation in which you find yourself is by His design. To some people, you brought it on yourself and in that situation, you can always tell it to Lord in prayers. Huh?

A Quote To Guide You

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Abe Lincoln.

A Thought For You In This New Year

Desire brings forth success

when applied as an essential ingredient to success.

Therefore, keep desiring for all those things that eluded your midas touch in the year gone-by and believe Him, for He will surely cause success to happen in your life.