MY GOD….the true blacksmith.

Growing up as a child; dad would smack me for not knowing how to do certain things. I was a bit surprised that the only language he used was the belt or the bulala (Hausa made animal skin) along the line it got me thinking, mum would always call me and talk to me, she would make effort to teach and then complain when I mess up. At least I knew mum was talking to me. Anyway mum was raised by a forest administrator (that’s my grand dad) while dad was raised by a blacksmith. It made me wonder if my paternal grand dad did not just panel beat my dad into shape. That said, I am an adult now, I had to make a decision along the line to start learning certain character traits on my own. The good thing was we were highly exposed to Gods word as kids. One big problem family had with me was the fact that I asked too many questions. I was just not comfortable with accepting things simply because you said that’s how it’s supposed to be, I needed reasons…..so from school to play ground and to the dinning table, I had an issue with everything. Now what I expected was to have someone teach certain things, I never got that. Rather I was smacked for either asking questions or not doing what I did not know how to do. I made effort to learn from certain people, one thing I bless God for is the fact that I could discern good people from bad people as a child. I won’t say I had it all together, because in the long pages of my past, I have littered, stories of wrong turns that obviously emanate from wrong choices. Now am an adult, I have had occasion to listen to so many speakers try to dissect the seeming refusal of young people to do certain things. One question that comes to mind a lot of times is how do you blame or smack a person for what they don’t know how to do. There are so many young adults who live the way the live because that all they know how to. It’s so easy for us to say in this computer age, one should easily pick up right qualities from the environment but I would ask which environment? The one that's littered with corrupt and disjointed principles? Please don’t get me wrong, am not trying to excuse or condone the laid back and reckless standards of our society; am just trying to help identify the root cause of the problem hoping we can better address it. It’s a fact that many persons come from families with peculiar issues, some of us are from broken homes, some from violently disposed backgrounds, and some don’t even have a background. My point in the details of the events that transpired within the years that make up our formative years always have far reaching implications on our adult lives. For example, love defined to a child is TIME. How many parents gave quality time deprived of fear to their children; even where they did, there were cases of strong external influence, either friends or an uncle or aunty somewhere down the line infiltrated the system and sowed a seed to contradict everything good we were thought. Love therefore becomes distorted either for the little boy or for the little girl who never had the privilege of having both parents under same roof to call a home. This child grows to be come an adult, pretty, elegant or handsome but broken. We pad up with the right job, business, cloths, church activities and so on. However the details of our brokenness are quick revealed in the lingering crises we face as we try you confront love and loving. ; then comes the Joe who blames us for not knowing how to do what we were never thought. Well, here’s my view. We might never be able to determine what life throws up at us but we sure can maneuver. As Christians, we are often thought to anchor our hopes on the lord, this is true. It’s rather unfortunate that many of us find ourselves in the situation where mentors are lacking in our society. However it’s very possible for you as a person to do a careful and critical review of your life, look at certain grey areas and seek help. It’s very important we tell ourselves the truth that the society that raised us is broken; it’s a place where the best of us never lead, it’s a place where the most celebrated are the run down elements of our generation. We celebrate mediocrity; we praise appearance in place of content. We compete using the wrong indices and the church is not an exception. However all hope is not lost. God in the last age is raising men and women like he promised, he said he would raise stones and out of the mouth of suckling and babes he would ordain praise. In clear terms, God is saying if those shouldered with the responsibility of leading my people would not, I would raise the unqualified and qualify them to do the job. With that; you see you fit perfectly for the job. Many of us are not qualified to be called the hand maid of God, either due to our horrible past or due to our inconsistencies but the truth is, God has decided to work with us. You need to begin to accept Gods definition of you, you need to begin to see yourself in the light of who God has called you to be, you need to begin to forget the things that are behind and press onto the things that are ahead. The bible in jer 31.33 said…at the end of the age, I will pour my spirit on all flesh…. That includes you. The beginning of change is acceptance of Gods define of you. Let your identity be drawn from the content of Gods character. Let the peace that drives you be of the knowledge of God and not the shallow acquisitions of our time. It is true that God is at work, it is true that it takes a process and it is also true that you might not feel God working in your life but my dear friend, is it not also true that life is not driven by feelings? No one finds fulfillment by working by their feelings. Feelings as true as the can be are equally incorrect. Faith is the word. The bible says, without faith it’s impossible to please God. In the same vain, I believe it’s impossible to see God at work if you don’t believe. ROMs 8.28 say for all things work together for good for them that love the lord and are called according to his promises. ALL THINGS mean ALL. As a child of God, you’ll have issues, you’ll face challenges but that wont negate the truth which is that you’re an over comer. Bishop T.D Jakes would say you’ll win if you don’t quit. Winning is a state of faith, we need to understand that the promise is worth the integrity of the promissory. God is our promissory, his integrity in unquestionable. He is not a man that he would lie. God said it; you need to believe it and that settles it. Even if you were raised by a blacksmith who literally panel beat you into who you are today or you were raised by the gentle touch of a forest administrator, God can use you. All you have to do is open up your heart and ask God to heal you and fix you for his use. Indeed there is nothing the lord cannot do. Thank you and God bless you. igonohGodwin. 14/11/11