With TONY OKORO
As you join me for breakfast this morning, I pray for the blessings of the Almighty upon you and your family. May the time we spend every weekend, bring great rewards to you. And as we navigate towards the end of the stormy 2025, may the good Lord protect you and lead you and your loved ones safely into 2026 and years beyond.
Over and over again, I have written that I am an unbelievably lucky guy. Every time people have counted me out, the Almighty has restored me. It has happened so many times, I have lost count. On social media, a guy once described me as a cat with nine lives. Believe me, this cat has lived more than nine lives!
Let me state once again that I am humbled by the incredible energy the Almighty has given me. Whenever it appears like I am completely worn out, I look up to Him, and brand-new blood is pumped into my veins. For a guy who has failed to go to church as often as he should, I have had the grace of God beyond measure.
Oh yes, I have been fired with ‘bazookas’ at close range. I have been bombed and bombed until I have been left for dead. It just happens that whenever some people think that they are going to my funeral, they meet me on the road laughing. Why are they always surprised? What is it that they do not understand? By now, you must know my mantra: I drive on a full tank of faith.
I am not joking when I tell you that I have seen the treachery and betrayal of men in its worst form and how men rationalize their duplicity and all the nonsense they concoct and strive to implement.
Have you ever had a guy you thought was your bestie, begin to manufacture a dispute between the two of you when there is really nothing to quarrel about? Guy, your antenna should go up! He is up to something. Nine times out of ten, your guy is fabricating a justification for treachery. Sooner or later, it will manifest.
It is then that the guy who used to merrily eat and drink with you will tell everybody how horrible you really are and why he must perch somewhere else. It is all cock and bull! He has found a new chopping center and what he believes is more tasty food, and has decided to port.
The average human being is very selfish and is always out for where he thinks his bread is buttered. Do not be surprised that the person who has behaved like he would go to the grave with you has in fact been praying that you should die quickly. Don’t be shocked when you find out that he has been eying your wife, your property or your position.
All the while, your guy has only been using you as his ladder. If he gets to wherever he has been climbing to, or finds a better ladder, he will create a scene and dump you like rotten ogbono soup.
Have you seen the game of musical chairs in our politics? In our politics, no friendship is real, no promise is a deal and no alliance can be relied on for more than two days.
I have learnt to be weary of praise-singers. If a guy begins to tell me that I am the best thing he has seen since man discovered sliced bread, the red light in my system begins to flash! I very well know that I am a mortal being and no mortal being is perfect. The guy is setting me up for the kill.
I have written in Saturday Breakfast several times that I verily believe that the true worth of a man is not in what he takes but in what he gives.
I have dealt with many who have made money and power their god. They do not believe that a man should do anything without expecting something in return. They do not understand the concept of giving and of sacrifice.
I have met many who do not understand why I do not think like them. Some believe that I must be hiding something. Someone has asked me how I can write and publish an average of 1000 words in Saturday Breakfast, 52 times every year for 16 unbroken years, and without being paid by anybody. If you remember, I have written in Saturday Breakfast before that I dedicate about 80% of my time doing work for which I get little or no income, and 20% trying to make a living. There are many who believe that my philosophy is stupid. They believe that the fact that I own no house in Maitama or Banana Island is idiotic. Every day, they count me out. Each time, however, the Almighty brings me back in a new way.
I have repeatedly emphasized that I drive on a full tank of faith. I serve a living God. The work I do is to the glory of the Almighty. The power I use is not mine. I verily believe that God will not send me on an errand without providing the transport fare.
Have you made money and power your God? May I advise that you do not worship men, money or power. Worship the Almighty and if you have any kind of power, use it to take care of the needs of God’s children. Do not fret about how you will survive. You will.
Drive on a full tank of faith with your tires pumped with love and do not listen to anyone who tells you that your dreams are impossible. I assure you that if you drive on a full tank of faith, you will become a cat with more than nine lives!
See you next week.
Leave a Reply