Looking back to reflect on the little progress we have made can be the greatest motivation we need to stay focused and not be distracted by the seeming hopeless situations that weaken our minds and discourage us not to keep pushing.
The rain that fell in torrent last night came reliving so many memories of what we went through many years ago as a family. There were times in my childhood days when heavy rain fell with terrible thunderclaps and I, along with my older and younger siblings, were always woken up by our parents from our deep sleeps to fetch the rain water so that we will have water not only for drinking and cooking, but also for other things like cooking, bathing, washing, and for other house chores.
(Right now, I know reading that we used to drink rain water may sound weird, yes! But, that was what we lived on for so many years until a breakthrough came. And, not only us. I know about other households who also survived on rain water just like we did. We cared less about any kind of germ. God who provided the water had already made it clean for us.)
We lived on that for many years until God’s help came to us and we were able to drill borehole which did not only serve us but also the people in our neighbourhood. Afterwards, we never bothered about getting ourselves drenched in the rain while trying to fetch water for survival, our peaceful sleeps too were no longer disrupted anytime the rain falls. That phase of life had passed away.
There was also a time we had very little quantity of food on daily basis to survive on. There were days we could not afford a day’s mea l, let alone us eating for three times a day. It is not that my parents were lazy, no, they were not. It was only that things did not turn out the way they wanted, hence, there were only a minute proof for all their toilings.
Many of our dreams and aspirations were dashed as a result, and some of the milestones that some of my siblings, particularly the older ones, reached in their educational pursuits were by God’s mercies. It was one of the wildest wilderness experiences we ever had as a family.
Thankfully, a breakthrough came and that season too passed. We did not only have what to eat, we had and still have what to give to those who are also in that phase of life that we once were at.
These two seasons in my life have helped me learn and acquire good characters that are still helping me to wade through life. The fetching of water under the rain with heavy thunderclaps has made me to be daring and adventurous in life. Whenever I am bent on getting anything good, I will get it not minding the risk I will have to take.
Secondly, that season of destitution that we had been through as a family had taught me contentment. While I work so hard to live the kind of that I deserve and to give my family the same, I am always contented with whatsoever thing that I have at the moment, without being covetous or envious of other people’s wealth. No matter how hungry we were during that time, our parents strongly warned us against eating in our neighbour’s houses and we kept to this instruction.
Also, the latter experience had taught me to be generous by sharing what I have with those who are in need of it, no matter how small it is. We had friends who usually visited us in our days of woe. And, despite the fact that some of them were living a more comfortable live, we never stopped sharing with them the little food we had each time they came around. Our parents always told us that, another thing that will take us out of penury apart from hard work was giving.
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I did also learn to be optimistic in life, and never to be weighed down by burdens when I am in my gloomy days. That is why, I am always and will always stay positive in a negative situation.
Looking back to reflect on the little progress we have made can be the greatest motivation we need to stay focused and not be distracted by the seeming hopeless situations that weaken our minds and discourage us not to keep pushing.
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