Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization of something greater than fear. – Ghemi Efunuga.
Every human being has (3) names. The first is the name he inherited from his parents, which is called LAST NAME. The second is the one you were given at birth and the last is the one you gave yourself. Of the three names, the most important is the one you gave yourself. In our current society, we are familiar with various names. In challenging times, there are some names that naturally ring a bell especially when they require solutions. There are names that open doors, some open doors, and others open nation borders, but unfortunately we still have some who cannot even open windows. What is your name and how much respect can your name command? How much is your name worth?
I watched a movie recently popularly known as TROY. There was a young man named Achilles. Achilles was a talented warrior, hero, and assassin. He specialized in dethroning kings and rendering princesses useless. He did not pay allegiance to any nation and did not honor any flag. Usually the kings hired him. As a result of Achilles’ unloyalty to any nation, no king was in love with him, which he himself knew because he fights for his own personal glory. There was also this nation called Troy. Troy had a great wall that had never before been conquered by any nation. There came a time when one of the kings Achilles normally fought for needed to conquer Troy. So they came asking Achilles to lead the battle. Achilles, in his usual custom, needed to consult his mother goddess in a place called Luriso. Then the mother told her saying “I knew they would come long before you were born, I knew they would come. They will want you to fight in Troy”, Mom I decide tonight “-said Achillies. If you stay in Luriso, you will find peace, you will find one wonderful woman, you will have sons and daughters, they will have sons and they will love you, but when you are gone, they will remember you, but when your sons are dead and the children after them, your name will be lost, but if you go to Troy, the glory will be yours. They will write the story of your victory for thousands of years; the world will remember your name. If you go to Troy, you will never come home … …… I should never see you again. “
Achilles chose to go to Troy, but could return. It’s no wonder that some of the literature books that people read today, especially in high schools, students refer to Achiles’s victory. There are names that sound as long as the bearers are alive. But once they pass, no one remembers them anymore. Some will last up to a century after the death of the bearers, some will last a millennium while others will last forever. Abraham Lincoln of the United States has lasted more than a century; Martin Luther King Jr has lasted for more than 5 decades. How far will your own name go even after you must have passed away? The names do not simply sound like a mere confession; we must dare to do what seems so impossible. God loves name makers. It is no wonder that he considered his people as “salt and light” to this world. Some of us will have to quit our jobs to find our main duty station before our names can be heard for the glory of God. Some people will get nowhere in life unless they are threatened. Then they will want to show people that they are wrong.
Life is not just about duration, but about giving. How shocking your life is to your immediate surroundings. Are you a blessing or a curse? God is not interested in the mediocre. Mediocre are those who would rather live an average life than have an impact. God loves the bold and especially those who will leave posterity behind. Those who will dare to go for what seems impossible. The scripture says in Exodus “and a king who did not know Joseph woke up in Egypt.” That was the genesis of the suffering of the children of Israel. So I asked myself a question that “what could have happened or gone wrong with all the great and powerful things that were done in Egypt by the hand of Joseph that could have caused his name to suddenly disappear like smoke in the record book of Egypt? The answer I got was that although it was successful, the significance of the success was very limited.
We all must dare the impossible. We must all be persistent and constant in faith in God even when obstacles and discouragement are obvious. Those who do not go in faith with God will always come back with a bad rap. Life is about making decisions. There is a league of conformists while we have another that is called transformists. You should choose one but don’t stay in the middle unless you have decided to warp yourself.
A renowned organization known as FORBES recently conducted a survey in the United States on the fifty most influential people in the world. We only had two in Africa. Nelson Mandela was number one, while number two went to the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Pastor EA Adeboye (49th in the world). Still more will be accomplished if God delays, but what position will He occupy? Hope to see you then. Good luck and God bless you.
Tunde Adenuga