A GENTLE NOTICE FROM ABOVE

 

I was traveling on a beautiful Saturday morning. I was in the front seat of the car I boarded. The crisp air billowed through the window as I traveled. I was heading to a wedding to celebrate the union of two colleagues that have known themselves for years.

The first hurdle we faced was traffic congestion on the road. The cars on the road were on standstill, hawkers took this as a cue to flit in and between cars, displaying their wares. A woman selling plantain chips almost placed her tray of chips on my lap in her eagerness to sell.

We finally moved from that congested position after several minutes, and our driver was able to comfortably drive at his favorite gear five. Along the way, the car was stopped at a police intersection along the road. The driver pulled to the side and we disembarked so that our car can be searched for contrabands and illegal goods. The search took another fifteen minutes of our precious time. Nothing illegal was found in the car or in the possession of any of the passengers, and so, we were cleared to drive to our destination.

The journey was coming to an end, but the car needed a fuel refill, and this led the driver to drive into the next fuel station along the way. And here, we met a driver and passenger fighting shamelessly. It was comical to behold. Onlookers tried to intervene, but until the driver paid for fuel and we drove out of the fuel station, they were still fighting.

What am I trying to say?

Life is shades of many colors. Don’t let the broken things of life break you. Don’t let the broken systems shape how you treat your neighbors. Don’t let the broken lifestyles of people influence how you treat strangers. God wants you to live a life of peace, joy, love, laughter, etc. He wants you to express this love to the world. God’s gentle reminder from above is that in this life, we will encounter many things, but in Him, our hope will not be put to shame.

In God’s Love,

Peace Okunola.