21: Going Global

My people (thats how the politicians greet us now!), hope alls well with you and yours?
The last write up provoked some interesting responses which led me to think of doing a follow up on it but.....some new thoughts have taken an ascendancy in my mind.

I read somewhere that we are in the Age of Talent, the next fronteir when the skills of persons and nations are the commodities of exchange. Looking at the fount from which i drink i.e. the Bible, i noticed the importance Jesus placed on the word 'Talent'.

This article attempts to find present day relevance to this issue. Let me know what you think.

Have a great month

(P.S I got mugged last night and lost my phones, sad to say i dont have good phone records so pls email your phone numbers to me when you can. Thanks.......please vote someone in that will deliver Lagos from criminals this saturday!)



Going Global

Strengths, talents and resources are in short supply. The wisdom of economics talks about scales of preference, opportunity cost and how you must firmly decide on how to allocate resources. My contemplation today resides on where a person chooses to perform on the stage of life. Must you settle for a local theatre or the national/international theatre? Before you accuse me of rambling let me set the tone.

A biblical story comes to my rescue here. In the time of the Judges, Israel had no king. The implication was that everyone did what they liked. In those uncertain times, a young Levite roamed the countryside. He had been trained to make enquiries of God on behalf of the Israelites.

He was armed with knowledge that was most sought after by a lot of people. He could give direction to the troubled and confused, he could advice men on which businesses would work, he could predict which battles would be won and lost.

As he wandered, looking for a new place to live, he came upon the house of a man called Micah. After a quick interview, Micah took him in as his own personal priest and negotiated to pay him ten pieces of silver a year, a change of clothes and food. Having no better options, the Levite accepted the job and started work as a ‘personal consultant’ to Micah.

All was rosy till the day Dan, a tribe of Israel decided they needed a place to settle down. They sent some spies to scope the territory and spent the night at Micah’s home. While there, they asked the Levite to consult God on their behalf and he told them they had God’s backing for victory.

When they returned after mobilizing the rest of the tribe, they proceeded to cart away all the priests’ tools of trade. When he confronted them, they challenged him to follow them with the words “Isn’t it better to be a priest for an entire tribe of Israel than just for the household of one man?”(Judges 18:19 NLT) He happily followed them and abandoned Micah’s home.

There lies my contemplation. When you are gifted to do something, are you at liberty to choose your field of performance? Should you limit your abilities to a small group or embrace the challenge of taking on a larger role? The answer may seem obvious until you view the world as I see it.

Many people who have been resourced by God to bless the world hide their ability within a small confined space and set of people. They feel that to seek to spread their circle of influence is synonymous with naked ambition. I beg to differ!

When you stand before God he will not only run a checklist of your good and bad deeds, he will also ask you what you did with all His resources. Did you double the talents or did you shrink from ‘hustling’ for fear that you were becoming too ‘ambitious’?

The right type of ambition is not the type Satan expressed in John Milton’s classic ‘Paradise Lost’ where he declared it ‘Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven’. Rather it is the type expressed by Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe who preferred to be called the Zik of Africa rather than the Owelle of Onitsha.

The heart and spirit of service is the essence of the right type of ambition. You seek to go higher not so that you can lord it over others but that you may have more people to serve.

In this ‘Post-motivational’ world when we have all heard the stories of making an impact, dying empty, using your talents bla bla bla….it is instructive to note that though you’ve heard it a million times, the message only resonates when you actually do try to put what you’ve heard into practice.

How long will you limit yourself? Desire to bless larger groups and you will be highly rewarded. You were not born to be a local champion but a global citizen! When will you go global?



You can get my book "War by Other Means" at Terra Kulture, Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island Lagos....Thanks!

Face the day boldly...if you fall, get up and keep running!
http://idiare.bornafrican.com/