Do you know that right in the midst of a very tough problem, you could chance upon an opportunity that could permanently change your status. Its a matter of perception. Someone rightly said, "How you view things depends on your point of view".
Follow me, as I relay to you the experience of a woman who transited from austerity to abundance. This woman was a widow. Unfortunately, before her husband died, he was neck deep in death. To make matters worse, he couldn't pay before death came calling. Soon the creditors came to ask for their money. This widow couldn't pay. The creditors then decided to take her sons to be bondmen. This means they would have to work, and keep working till they paid the debt incurred by their late father.
This widow, having just lost her husband was not ready to leave her sons to go and slave out their lives. Do you know what she did? First, she didn't pretend as if all was well; she cred out. It is noteworthy that she didn't just cry to create a scene. She was intentional in that she cried to one whom she felt could have an answer.
Having listened to this widow as she narrated her ordeal, and that of her family, the man she cried to for help didn't go the usual route. The norm would have been to make a commitment of certain amount to salvage the situation. Rather than make a promise, he asked two questions simultaneously, "What do you want me to do for you?" What do you have in the house? Her reply, "I don't have anything in the house except a pot of oil". This widow who claimed to have nothing actually had a pot which was not empty, but contained oil. On the instruction of the fellow she had cried to for help, she was guided on how to use what she had, which she never saw as a possession to get what she wanted. The story ended beautifully in that she was able to pay her creditors, and she lived on the proceeds with her son.
Do you now that irrespective of how bad you think things are, you are not left empty handed? If only you would look within and around, you would find seeds that can be used to chart you way out of that circumstance. Do you know that you may be in your present circumstance because though you are aware of things that could lift you up, yet you trivialize them? If only this widow had known that the pot and the oil in her house would bail her out of challenge, she would have been spared the agony of the thoughts of loosing her sons.
Do you know that you might need the help of gifted people to help you see opportunities which are not apparent to you? So when you find yourself in a tight corner, know that your bail out is within. Equally, reach out to people who can positively re-orientate you to see the better version of yourself, and the situation at hand. The irony of this story is that the man to whom this widow cried never gave her anything physical or material. She got more than any material or financial support. During their conversation, she got inspired. Her meeting with the man caused a paradigm shift. Her point of view was positively realigned.
Do you know that she never remained same. As they conversed, the man of God, Elisha taught her some rudiments of business. He taught her about borrowing 'empty vessels'. In modern day parlance, some call it 'crowd-funding' when it has to fo with finance, while without finance, it is called, OPR (Other Peopled Resource). He emphasized that she should only get empty vessels. This is so that she can put in her own suffs. Its like getting many model, hybridize, and localize them to suit your peculiarity (socially, economically, culturally etc). He told her to ensure the door is shut in the presence of her sons while she poured the oil from one vessel to another. Its a way of saying, "grow in silence; keep your trade secrets, and find a way of carrying your children along in the business". Furthermore, he told her, "set aside those that are filled". In other words, when you get to a climax with sufficient evidence, take on others, so as to get everything filled. Most importantly, he instructed, "Go, sell the oil,and pay your debt, and live on the rest with your children". He emphasized the need for her to trade (exchange goods and services for an agreed sum).
Do you know that if you look inward with a newer perspective, you would find something? Yes! You would find something, or may be somethings worthwhile, that if well developed, refined, and properly served, can be bring profit to you and your generations. Look into your house, home, life, family, and into your heart; you will surely find something. It could be a gift, a skill, an ability, a possession, a passion. Something is there awaiting your discovery, to make you distinct in life, if properly developed and deployed. Start the search today!
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© Christopher Ogbebor
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