CHALLENGES OF LIFE

Life is actually beautiful and wonderful. It can be a dream come true, a heaven on earth or the paradise you always wanted to see one day. But life is a paradox that is hard to comprehend. Maybe, it is because we are actually mortals and cannot understand the things that are beyond us. In another perspective, life is so distasteful and full of unpleasant occurrences; with each day bringing sad events and your worst nightmare into reality. That, my dear friends, is a little of the story of life. Life as some would say is how you make it. This assertion is true but life is so unpredictable. It is just like the beautiful flower you see by the road side. Today it is so beautiful and blossoming with such radiance but tomorrow you would find it dried up by the sun or destroyed by the feet of passers-by or vehicle. The talk of flower reminds me of a Ga (a Ghanaian ethnic group) song my mother taught me one night. It goes like this:
“Gbe masei fofoi mina
Hunu sha le aaahu
Latsa tsa le enana
Ni enin ye mobo pam
Moko moko yooo le
Oh fofoi, fofoi mina
Enin ye mobo tooto.”
The song tells us about a beautiful flower sighted by the singer but unfortunately, got burnt by the sun's scotching rays. And so the singer tells us how pitiful the flower had become.

The flower is the beautiful life we have while the sun represents the challenges in life and how they can change our life and makes our life all so ugly and miserable. Though life can be that way, have you ever thought that the vehicle of our life is steered by us and we are the only ones who can make things affect us? And that we could determine the impact of life's happening to either have a positive or negative effect on our life. “life’s challenges are the soil in which faith grows” – Anonymous.

When things get tough we have to remember GOD and have faith in him........faith doesn’t get us out of trouble but it sure does get us through it. Faith can move mountains.

Well, let me present to you the occurrence/reaction principle of life. In life, certain events and occurrences happen in our life that we cannot control. Take for instance the death of a close relation, a breakup, dismissal from work, a heavy down pour, falling sick and a traffic jam etc. These are things that you just can’t control. But my question to you is what do you do when these this things happen. Do we let them destroy the rest of our life or improve them? Consider a situation where a lady decides to kill her ex-boyfriend for breaking up with her after she had spent 6 years of her life with him and also committing a number of abortions for him. She is then arrested for murder and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment or worst for life. I'm sure most ladies would do the same, even kill themselves or get mad when faced with this situation. A situation like this is very difficult to cope with but wouldn’t it be better to use such a disappointment as a stepping stone to move on? Or even use it as a lesson for yourself, a sibling or even a friend. Take it that the man was not worth it and that life would be better without him. Think of the possibility that someone better, who would love and cherish you is on the way.

Don’t look at your past or night but learn to look at your morning. In such situations as loses it is good to cry. Crying helps one to feel better; cry as much as you can even if till the tears get finish. You would feel better after that but one thing is for certain you don’t have to cry alone you’ve got to have a shoulder to cry on. Talk to someone you trust, a best friend, a pastor or a counselor. Note that it is good to share your problems, that way they don’t weigh you down. When you are disappointed, remember it is not the end of the world, so long as there is life there is a way.

 It is an indisputable fact that life is full of changes. So how do they influence our lives? Do we allow it break us down and destroy our happiness, harden us, soften us or what? You are the only one who can change your life. Even if your friends change, your family or situation change, your life and you can not change. You have the power to make the greatest change in your life; to make your day the best and to make it sad. And one most important way to face the changes is to be ready for any change in life.

“Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.”- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. We all grow older but that doesn’t take any talent or ability from us. The idea is to grow up, by always finding opportunity in change. Remember that the greatest change brings about the greatest opportunity.

There are three kinds of people in life; the carrot, the egg and the coffee bean. When these three foods are boiled for the same number of minutes and taken out, they all have different reactions. The carrot when boiled becomes soft and tender. These carrot people are those who are weakened by the changes and challenges in life. They are those who used to be tough but have softened and broken down because they couldn’t cope well with the situation. The egg does not look different after boiling but I tell you when the shell is taken u find it hard. This category of people is those who become hardened by the situation. They seem to be the same but within their hearts have become hard and unchanging. The final which inspires me is the coffee bean. The coffee bean, when boiled rather changes the water to its colour and gives it a sweet aroma. These people take advantage of the situation and take opportunity to make everything around them better. They don’t allow the situation to discourage them or make their hearts hard but rather make them better and lovely people. So ask yourself this question; “Am I a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?” Choose one and find out what you really are. There are times when you need to learn a lesson and become soft like the carrot and there are times you really need to be tough after facing a challenge. No matter the situation you have to make the best out of it.

Isaiah 61:3 says “Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” So when you feel down and all is lost, and every thing is so bad just change your clothes to that of a victor. Remember you are not alone. With God on your side you would make it. Always have a can do spirit.

I will finally leave you with one friend who has been my all and companion. He is Jesus Christ the son of the living God. With him you can make it in life. Identify God’s standard and press on to attain it. Psalm 1:3. He shall be like a tree planted by the water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. Get a personal relationship with GOD and take his word as the food to your soul. Let the word of God guide you and teach you and never let it depart from you. Joshua 1:8. When all hope is lost remember with GOD all things are possible. There is still a possibility of a future. Job 14:7-9.

I trust that these few words will have an impact on the lives of all its reader. Amen

NB. Please leave a comment if you feel blessed by this piece.

Abigail Naa Karley Clegg