MUCH ADO ABOUT MONEY

Money makes the world go round. How true is that? Money answereth all things, they say but does it actually answer ALL things? Money is beautiful and can get you beautiful things but the question is how far are we willing to go to get it and are we willing to go that far to get those things our money can’t get for us?

We are in a world where it seems money is everything, a world where the poor man hardly has a say. We are in a society where people go to any length to get money even if it will cost them the life of a member of their family, friends or even a part of their bodies. The crime rate is so high because everybody wants to make money at any cost. We are in an extravagant society where everybody wants to show off and wants to be noticed. And all these things just make me wonder if money is really everything, if there isn’t more to life than making money, if there aren't many other things to chase after. It makes me wonder why we feel sad because we don’t have as much money as we want when there are so many other things to be grateful for.

Money can get you cars, houses and other luxurious things but can it buy you peace of mind?

You can buy drugs and pay doctors for treatment but would you not rather have good health that money can’t give?

Money can get you nice clothes, shoes, bags, accessories and make up but can it give you true beauty that comes from within and radiates on the outside?

With money, you can afford to go to a school of your choice, pay your school fees and buy all the books and materials you need but does that guarantee intelligence? Will that alone give you wisdom and courage to face life’s challenges?

Money can get you people’s attention but does it get you their true respect?

Money can get you a girl’s body but can it get you her heart and love? If she stays because of money, what happens when the money goes?

You may drop millions of naira for tithes and offerings or to build a church, but does that give you an automatic ticket to heaven?

…and I can go on and on

Don’t get me wrong. Money is good and it’s good we all have it. But as much as we want money, I think we should work hard and stick to legitimate ways of making money. Before cutting corners, taking bad decisions, duping people, selling our bodies, going against the law or disobeying God, let’s ponder on the questions above. Rather than sit and wallow in self pity because we are broke at the moment, let us thank God for things we have and keep praying and trusting for those we don’t yet. Let us think of and pursue things like love, respect, self fulfillment, passion to pursue our dreams, zeal to make a difference, good health, inner peace, loyalty, heaven, wisdom…which money will never give us.

 

The four-letter word

Staring at the sky now

Watching the stars

I wonder what it would be like

Watching them with someone special

Love is a word I’ve heard people use almost all my life

And day by day

I get different ideas/perspectives about what love is about

And I wonder if I’ll ever get enough

I’ve heard/read love stories

I’ve watched romantic movies

I’ve heard love songs

Some with the ‘and they lived happily ever after’’

Some with the sad endings

I just wonder how my love story will go

I wonder what it will be like with ‘the one’

Some weeks back, I took time to read 1Cor 13 over and over again

Especially from verse 4 to 10

And the fact that there is more to the word ‘love’ became clearer

Going through it again as I’m writing this

I try to analyze it the way I see it

And relate it to ‘the special one’

“Love is patient and kind”

I hope he’ll wait patiently when I really ask him to wait

And be kind enough to be patient when he should

Even when I don’t ask for it

“Love is not jealous or boastful”

I hope he’ll be happy when I’m successful

And not see me as a threat/competitor but as a partner

Also, rather than make me jealous of another woman

He’ll go extra mile to make others wish they could have a love like ours

I hope he’ll not blow his trumpet at the slightest opportunity

Whenever he feels he has done something beautiful for me

“It is not arrogant or rude”

I hope he doesn’t always try to prove that he’s the man of the house, the boss

And I’m just a woman he can use anyhow and dump when he’s through

I hope he treats me with all the respect I deserve

I hope I’ll not just be the mother of his children

But a wife, mother of his children, partner, confidant and soul mate

“Love doesn’t insist on its own way”

I hope he’ll have me in mind when making decisions

I hope I’ll be worthy enough in his sight to give my opinions

If I can’t be put first, I hope I won’t be considered last

“It is not irritable or resentful”

I hope he’ll understand that I’m not perfect

And I sometimes have mood swings and act weird

I hope he’ll not get angry at every silly thing I do

“It doesn’t rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right”

I hope he’ll be a man of integrity

I hope he says what he means, means what he says and practices what he preaches

I hope he truly loves God

And lives his life to please God rather than wallowing in sin

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”

Though I know I’m strong and I can take care of myself

I hope he’ll always stand by me

I hope he’ll never hesitate to offer me his shoulder to lean on

I hope he’ll fight for our love

I hope divorce will never be an issue

And I hope I won’t have course to ‘manage’ our marriage

Or give plastic smiles and pretend as if everything is fine when he keeps hurting me

Just because I don’t want to leave

I hope he’ll never give up on us

“Love never ends, as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away”

I hope our love will stand the test of time

And I hope we’ll be happy together till the end of time

I hope our lives will be like a capsule with a mixture of laughter, understanding, trust, success and joy

“For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away”

I hope when love comes to stay, the fears, worries and insecurities will pass away

I don’t only want this kind of love from ‘him, I also want to show this kind of love to him and to those around. As much as I want to receive this, I want to be able to give this unconditional love. So help me God

Lastly, to those that don’t believe in love or have had their love thrown back at their face by someone they really cared for, I pray God opens up their hearts one more time.

Through the cycle

From the bright and beautiful vision...

Through the great zeal
The burning passion
The unique enthusiasm
The fierce fight
The tough struggles
The strong hope and faith
The encouragement...

To the fatal disappointments
The lost battles
The over-shadowing fears and worries
The bitter tears
The killed morale
The direct and indirect insults...

Now to the keen anticipation
The great expectation
The unavoidable eagerness to breath the air of freedom
To heave a sigh of relief
To have a sleep of peace
And to have a shout of victory...
...that of a conqueror

Through the cycle...with the good, the bad and the ugly, she's still standing...keeping her fingers crossed