Growing up as a rural folk was one of the moments I will
always treasure because it was both great and amazing. It was the serene
environment that I most liked. It was green, quite and life was like a routine.
Rural areas are different from the capitals where people are in a hurry,
careless about their neighbors and life is unpredictable. Rural areas is where
you just hear the same radio station tuned on by almost everyone, the only
noise is from birds, cattle and babies crying. Life here is a routine; you can
almost predict how your day will be. Wake up in the morning, milk the cows,
feed them, walk to the fields, in the noon you are back home, water the cows,
take lunch and walk back to the fields before milking them in the evening. But
all these are done daily perhaps with the exception of Sundays which are the Sabbath
days. People take rest and gather in houses of worship before meeting in
shopping centers and markets to catch up with others. This is completely
different from towns. You can hardly predict how your day will be. But life in
rural areas is just that simple and fantastic.
The other day when I thought of such life I told myself I
really miss such a life. I would like to life in such a place. But then just
before I entertained such a thought I realized something else that almost made
me shoot down such an idea. You see mummy and daddy committed almost everything
they earned to send their son to school that in the future I may not live in
such a rural environment which is characterized by poverty and under
development. I wondered what would the villagers’ think of me who have attended
university go back and settle down in the village. It is unheard of. But wait a
minute, if I will do a mistake, then I just thought of the many other mistakes
and errors that I have made in the past. Some which were grievous. Some I may have considered them greater than
this.
As a young boy in primary school I dreamt and hoped that I
would score at least 400+ marks in my final primary school exam so that I may
secure a place in a national school. And it was not me alone who hoped the
same, my parents, teachers and relatives too waited for that. I was just a bright
boy. But I failed to score. I score slightly lower marks and did not earn a
place in a national school. I was however admitted in a relatively good school,
which was also an academic giant. Here I studied so hard and smart than
everyone again was sure that I would score straight A’s. Surly I did not
disappoint. I could easily have repeated the same in the final exam but again I
missed the straight A. just missed with a point. It was disappointing to me.
Twice I have missed the mark. Then I made one more mistake. Having such a good
grade I would simply have settled for a prestigious course in an engineering
field of my choice of a medical field. Instead for me I settled for one which
was relatively unknown and new that is what I am pursuing even today Business Information
Technology. It was an error which no one thought I would make.
However at this moment I need put a disclaimer that I need
not defend my choices. For time will tell if I failed or achieve. But as I pen
this down so that you can read it online, I wonder of the many times we thought
we have missed the mark and made errors in life. You know all of us are prone
to making mistake that do not prevent us from missing targets. Think of a
business person who targets to make a profit for a year but ends up making huge
losses. What of a priest who targets to have grown his congregation to a certain
number by the end of the year by reaching out to lost souls and sheep but fails
even to add a few more people at the end of the year? Or what of a student who
fails to achieve a target they set at the end of the term. A young man hopes to
have married before an age but he has not before then since his fiancée has
left him. Or take an example of a driver who wants to make a number of trips
per day to earn more but he does not meet the target. I would add more and more examples of such
situations which I think we can all identify with.
As I think of such situations a case study comes to mind of Columbus.
Christopher Columbus was on a mission to find a shorter trade route to India,
but he missed it by over nine thousand miles. Nine thousand miles! However,
that failure put a spotlight on new lands that motivated future explorers,
attracted settlers, and eventually resulted in the creation of great nations.
It was one of history’s biggest blunders. I want to help you understand that there is no
magnitude of an error of failure you cannot recover from to be heroes like
Columbus is in America. In fact he is the only other hero who has a national
holiday together with martin Luther king Jr. other national heroes in America
are celebrated on one day but he is celebrated on his own day dedicated to him
only. Yet this happens despite the fact that he was a victim of failure. He
made an error which is beyond the expected margin. It was far off. The path
that he proposed to India was too long by about 9, 000 miles. I cannot imagine
how they honor such a failure. Sometimes
you have to make an error and aim again if there is a second chance but if
there is none then move on. Try something new. Ultimately you will achieve. You
should not fear trying making a mistake in parenting, studies, business and
financial management and spiritually because you will fail. Know for sure that
we will actually cheer you up when you fall, dust yourself and move on. Failure
is just something that is meant that if it occurs then we recover from it and
move on. It’s not sealed in you.
Even the bible records of such instances of men of faith who
failed but woke up and moved on. Abraham the father of faith, he miserably
failed but choosing to use a shortcut to establish a family using Hagger who
was his slave girl. Yes he did against God that his descendants would be from
his own body. Though God was not pleased he was gracious to him and a chance
was presented to him to mend his ways and thus today he is still the father of
faith and father of the Jews. Another hero was David. He did commit adultery.
He sinned against God. But he was restored because he chooses to repent and
still pursue God. He is still the man after God’s own heart. It is unimaginable
that you would think that you have fallen beyond restoration. Let not failures label
you because you will doubt what your ability is that the Lord has granted to
you. Failures are not supposed to tell us what we have not and what we cannot
do. Appreciate the fact that you made mistake. Do not defend it. Cheer up friend
you made a mistake but we celebrate you.
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