FORGING PEACE WITH NATURE

Our world is so much concerned about the actions and inactions of terrorist such that we leave our actions and inactions that impact the world seasons through global warming and its rippling effect, climatic change, to a few people to decide.

If we can put billions of hard earned tax payer’s dollars into putting systems and technologies in place to track, thwart and prevent the daily activities of terrorist, what are we doing to curb global warming and its devastating natural disasters it leaves in its wake?

If we have stepped on the toes of the terrorists, they are men with like passions like us, we can plead our cause with diplomacy, compensations and ceasefire, but if we step on the tip toes of nature with our carbon emissions through so called industrialization without cause to the feeling of our environment, it will never forgive us but will surely pinch us with its devastating and debilitating stings.

If we can commit the same resources we have committed to curbing terrorism in the past to this cause, it will not be necessary to face nature’s begrudged diplomatic corps to sit at the table of compromise. Our actions would have spoken for itself, if we can develop systems and technologies that will enormously and forever reduce the emission of carbon to the barest minimum.

The tsunami that just ripped parts of Japan confirms the fact that nature is ranting its fierce anger at us and it’s not turning back. Nature is no more interested in our rhetorics and cheap promises, now nature wants to see actions and solutions.  Nature says it has reached its limits and can only vent it distress and pressures at the door step of our world. Nature says I will leave a scar on the conscience of man for the scars he has serrated on my back. Nature says I will also turn your luxuries into ashes because you have trodden on my pristine. You have defiled my virgin forests and my fallow grounds you have evaded and trampled upon. You have converted my haven for wildlife and made it your sewage and waste disposal sites. Nature says that since you have changed my yearly seasons, I will change and revert your seasons as well.

I call on you not because you have the ability to deliver promissory notes, but I call on you to deliver solutions that will make this present God has given to us a worthwhile. That God’s present can be handed over to our children’s children in its entirety and wholesomeness. It will be handed over to posterity in its pristine and virgin state.

I call on you to make legislatures, laws and mandates that will prevent those who are not sensitive to the plight of our environment to be brain washed and indoctrinated to behave environmentally. To know that their actions and inactions, their selfishness and quest to enrich their accounts without cause to the environment is a bane to our world; God’s gift.

Human beings from the inception of the world’s creation have been selfish, never sensitive to the plight of other creations. Flora is wailing so loud that the heavens echo with their cry. Flora suffocates with our waste which ideally is their food. Flora says now am intoxicated and cannot take it anymore.

Fauna has no abode to rest as man enlarges his abode through erection of mansions and estates that he barely sleeps in. Man acquires “toys” to satisfy his ever ending lust and pride not mindful of the harm he is causing his environment.

The true greatness and might of man is for him to lie being mindful of what goes on in his environment. Man then invests his resources to championing the resurrection and regeneration of his environment. Man looks forward to seeing deserts turned into canopy of forest. He hears the sweet twittering of birds, the mooing of cattle and the rushing of streams and rivers.

Then man can say he is achiever and the guardian/custodian of this world. Then man can walk tall and not crouch. Then man can live at peace with his Maker and environment in unison. Then man can worship being in tune with his spirit and communicating with his maker and not scared and haunted by his actions and inactions.

Let us make new resolutions we are burnt on achieving and conquering, let us fight to recover the world we have lost to out lust and evil passions. Let us live such that our children’s children will be happy to live in this world that was handed to us by God through our fore fathers.

We have all the resources and power to change the world into a haven for flora and fauna and present a worthy gift to posterity. We are called at this moment to act to save our world because the creator made us custodians.

Global warming is a global issue and we need to nib it in the bud once and for all

I LOOK BACK TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS

Like the lion, I look back
Not because I am being pursued
Not because of the fear of the past
Not because of some skeletons in my closet
Not because of my failures
Not because of my achievements
But I look back to take
A cursory look and measure the distance I have covered
To assess how far Ebenezer has brought me
The mountains of failure I have conquered
The valley of the shadow of death
I have passed through indomitably and dauntlessly
Soaring through the desert heat without being burnt by the scorching heat
How I have used the lemons life threw at me to turn it into lemonade
How the failures of the past have been the stepping stones to greatness
Looking back gives me the confidence that
He who has began a good work in me will
Perform it until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
I move on more committed and focused like never before
Looking unto the author and the perfecter of my faith
That my future is secured in Him
Today, I fly and soar faster than the fastest eagle
I run faster than the fastest cheetah
Even though time flies faster than the fastest bird
I keep the pace with it
Knowing that I am born to greatness

I REACH FOR TODAY

Most of us live in the past
Brooding over failures and mistakes
Basking in the shadows of our successes and feats
And allowing the now to evaporate into oblivion
Most of us live in the future
Worried and anxious about the uncertainties of the impending years
Scared by the vicissitudes of life
Only but a few live in the present
Which is God’s gift to us
There is absolutely nothing one can do about
His past or the future
But there is more one can do about
His present because that is what he has grasps for
He can make the lessons from his past
Both good and bad serve as
The stepping stones for his success tomorrow
Today I reach for my present which is today!

I RATHER HAVE JESUS CARRY MY LOAD

Down the memory lane of my secondary education
I go wandering once again
Back to the hills that made me a gentleman
I go to learn once again under the tutelage of Kwabotwe
At the start of the gentle steep hills of Kwabotwe
Stands the beautiful magnificent edifice built by
The MOBA ‘83’ year group known to us as the PATO
In front of this formidable edifice stands Atlas,
The endowed and proportioned Greek titan carrying
The whole world on his shoulders with all his muscles strained to its limit
Deeply imprinted and engraved on my mind
Is the boy Jesus carrying the entire world in the palms of His cute hand
Relaxed and smiling with no minutest muscle strained
The first part of these two scenarios depicts how humanity struggles through
Life with all the fears of the past, problems of the present and anxieties of the future
Humanity carries loads of problems with all his/her muscles strained like the Greek titan Atlas
Whereas the savior of the world promises that
Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden
And I will give you rest…because my yoke is light
Philippians 4:6-7 summarizes it best that
We should take all our anxieties and fears to Him in prayer and supplication and thanksgiving
And he will in turn grant us the peace which surpasses all human understanding
Today instead of carrying all the problems of this world on your feeble shoulders
I recommend you carry them to Jesus who is willing
To always exchange his light load with yours for no fee

THE GIFT OF WOMAN

I celebrate women today for not only that they are the fairer sex
Not only that they are beautiful and graceful
Not only that they are soft and tender
But I celebrate women because they are our mothers, sisters and lovers
Digging deep the mines of my childhood is my greatest source of joy and happiness
Because of the gift of a man with a womb
I remember the smiles and peace that always emanated from the face of my mum when the whole world had a frown on their faces
I remember the comfort embrace of my mum when it seemed the whole humanity and the heavens were against my course
I remember the joy and commitment to seeing me look prim and proper for every occasion
I remember encouragement and praises she showered on me through my successes and failures
I still remember her zeal to inculcate discipline, hard work, and sacrifice and gratitude in me
I loved growing with a sister
How graceful and beautiful she is
How she attracted attention when we walked the streets of our childhood together
Beaming with smiles, giggles and laughter to expose her glorious dimples and white perfect teeth
How she graced every occasion with her beauty and splendor
I still remember sitting in the same class with girls
Most of my achievements and academic excellence were in the quest to catch their attention
How I was infatuated by their beauty and glory
How I fell in love with them
How they gave me the hope to go through school
Today, I thank God for the gift of women

LET ME NOT TAKE MY SIGHT OFF YOU

Oh God, as you throw blessings and successes my way

Let them not go into my mind and forget about your ability to build and tear down

Even as you anoint my head with oil

Let me not use the glossiness of my hair to bring people down

Even as you order my steps into riches

Let me not use my wealth consciously and unconsciously

To support and finance the activities of the world but your kingdom

Even as you give health to my muscles and strength to my bones

Let me not exhaust them on activities that bring kings to their fall and disgrace

Even as you grant me favour in your sight and men

Let me not abuse the favour to satisfy my whims and caprice but to push your agenda

Even as you plant me in good and loving relationships

Let me not be a kill joy and heart breaker to those relationships

Even as am surrounded by loving people

Let me not abhor those who hate me

Even as you have planted me in a family

Let me not despise and compare them to other families

Even as you have given me good education and enlightenment

Let me not use the knowledge to look down on people

Even as you raise me to the pinnacle of success in life

Let me also be mindful of the drops of bitterness you can drop in my wine of life

Even as you help me excel in every feat in life

Let me not acknowledge and take your glory for myself

Even as you shower me with your everlasting love, mercy and grace

Let me not allow the gifts thy love bestows estrange my hearts from thee

Even as you enlarge my barns and coast

Let me know that in all the hustle and bustle of this life

The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper

And makes more room for consolation

THE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE (THE UNIVERSITY OF LIFE)

Forty-four years down memory lane of Ghana, a leader was ousted from power and so many years after that dreadful day the court of the conscience of posterity has exonerated him. In our generation he is hailed as the African of the century. What kind of leadership did he offer his nation? And what mark has he left that the entire African continent salutes him? He must have really led generously.

One look at our public institutions, right from political, academic, social and even the church, it is crystal clear that the kind of servant-leadership Brother Jesus emulated and exhibited is nowhere to be found these days. If we classify some animals are endangered species then this kind of Jesus leadership is an endangered one and almost out of extinction.

People are no more willing to go through the mill. The Law of Process that the Holy Bible espouses and propounds which in my own words can be simplified as: “Between the promise and the Promised Land, there is always a wilderness” has lost its bearing and taste in this era.

Lots of Wanna-Be leaders do not want to go though the wilderness experience but they want to be at the top forgetting that the top is lonely and boring at times since the average man glories and wallows in being a mediocre and is afraid of responsibilities.

The wilderness experience I have come to know takes you through lots of challenges that at the end sharpen both your intellectual and physical skills. Collin Powell the one-time Secretary of State of the United States of America and the first African-American to have ascended such a great height in the United States political system is alluded with the saying that his scariest thing to him as a former US five-general is to see a general who has all the military medals and accolades with no scar. After going through the wilderness experience, the wilderness graduate does not see his/her scar as a sign of defeat but rather a sign of the resilience and strength that success instills in its students.

It also stimulates into its students the discipline, handwork, patience, commitment, loyalty, altruism, integrity, optimism, resilience and tenacity that they would eventually come to uphold, esteem and cherish. These traits which are consciously and unconsciously imprinted on the mind and heart of the individual become a value that he/she will forever respect. It is on the wings of these values that the wilderness graduate glides to surmount any unforeseeable obstacle or hindrance. It is these values that will erode the fear of the future, the competition of the seen and unseen and expose the nakedness of false evidence appearing real.

Through the wilderness experience one learns the skill of dependence and interdependence and cultivates the compassion and willingness to be altruistic. These qualities will in the future help him/her to be remembered by both loved-ones and critics. With these qualities, he/she will be able to leave foot-prints on the shores of the heart of those he/she served and led and fulfill the unspoken mantra:our lives are measured by the number of lives we touch.

Finally, the wilderness helps its graduate to find their passion in life. It is said that in ancient Greece, when somebody dies, they do not write an obituary. They ask a simple question: Did he have Passion?Jeremiah also known as the “Weeping Prophet” captures it perfectly when he says that “Your word is like fire shut within my bones”, that is the best definition I have ever come across for Passion. It is what keeps you going when everything refuses to barge. It is what will place you before the King. The Holy Bible says that “Have you seen the man who is diligent in what he does (Talent), he shall appear before Kings”. That is where Passion places you. Passion is what keeps you awake when the whole world is fast asleep and snoring. It is what wakes you from your sleep and slumber when everyone around you is frail and slumbering.

Passion is what makes you clear the over-grown field when your compatriots are sitting aloof. It is what will make you build the broken walls like Nehemiah when you are pierced on both sides by detractors and saboteurs. Following your Passion is what the Designer and Great Architect created you for. This is the only weapon you have to put either a smile on the face of God or a frown. This is the only song that can make the King of Kings with His Hosts of Angels give you a standing ovation and the applause of heaven.

Today, I go into life with a new perspective and confidence, that everything I go through is part of the wilderness experience. It is only the University of Life that gives its students a second chance. It keeps failing you till you are able to pass its tests and trials. It is the only University that has set its principles so right that when you fail to uphold and leave by the principles they break you. There are therefore no short-cuts to passing its trials and tests.

I am forever a student of life and am willing to go through the challenges it has for me to test my character and competence. Character I have come to know is who I am when no one is looking. It is what the angels present before my Maker when am in His bosom.

Let us as leaders and Wanna-Be leaders look into life fixing our gaze on the author and finisher of our faith who led an exemplary life as a servant-leader and humbly and dutifully touched the lives of many of which we are examples.

Let us know as leaders and Wanna-Bes that “what we do today echoes through eternity and posterity will either immortalize us or incarcerate us in the dungeons of eternity!!”