African Proverb: No matter how long a log stays in water, it will never become a crocodile.

Meaning: If you’re black, no matter how long you bleach your skin, you will never become white. If you are white, no matter how long you tan your skin, you will never become black. Whatever you are, whether black, white or something else, that is what you will remain forever. We must have the guts and gratitude to accept what we cannot change. In the words of Douglas Malloch, “If you can’t be a highway, then be a trail; If you can’t be a sun, be a star; It isn’t by size that you win or fail, Be the best of whatever you are”. Just like the parts of the body are different and serve different functions, we are also cut for different purposes. Let us not try to push others into our mould. Let us give people the freedom to fulfil their calling in life.  To pretend to be what you are not is to live in denial. And denial will lead you into unnecessary discomfort and disappointments! Be real!

Country’s Proverb: Congo, Gabon and Gambia

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If a rose smells better than cabbage, it doesn’t mean the rose can make a better stew.  Don’t try to compare yourself too much to others.  You also have your own strength, search it and build on it. You may make better stew than they think. Smile always. All animals that exist, were in Noah’s ark. A snail is one of those animals. If God could wait long enough for snails to enter Noah’s ark; His door of grace won’t close till you reach your expected position in life. Never look down on yourself, keep looking up. Broken crayons still colour. Stay blessed in Jesus name.

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THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEMS

A guy met one of his school mates several years after school and he could not believe his eyes; his friend was driving one of the latest sleek Mercedes Benz cars. He went home feeling awful and very disappointed in himself. He thought he was a failure.

What he didn’t know was that his friend was a driver and had been sent on an errand with his boss’s car!

Rosemary nagged her husband always for not being romantic. She accused him of not getting down to open the car door for her as her friend Jane’s husband did when he dropped her off at work.

What Rosemary didn’t know was that Jane’s husband’s car had a faulty door that could only be opened from the outside!

Samson’s wife went to visit one of her long-time friends and was very troubled for seeing the 3 lovely children of her friend playing around. Her problem was that she had only one child and has been struggling to conceive for the past five years.

What she didn’t know was that one of those children who was the biological child of her friend had sickle cell and had just a year to live; the other two are adopted!

🌽Life does not have a universal measuring tool; so create yours and use it.

🌽Looking at people and comparing yourself with them will not make you better but bitter.

🌽If you knew the sort of load the camel carries, you wouldn’t ask why it takes those gentle strides.

So be thankful to God for what you have and enjoy it. You never know, someone may earnestly be praying for what you don’t appreciate but take for granted

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DON’T ENVY ANYBODY; everyone is in this world running their own race on their own lane in their own time. God has a different plan for everybody. Time is the difference. Obama retires at 55, Trump resumes at 70.

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BE TRUE TO YOURSELF.

In 2005, a company hired me to be part of their consultants to the company of one of richest men in Nigeria.

I hardly wear suits but I took time out and visited a boutique to buy a very expensive suit, shirt, necktie and shoe to match for the visit.

On the D-day we all appeared expensive and angelic.

We waited for over 4 hours for the meeting to start and finally the rich man walked in casually dressed.

He was wearing a cheap kaftan, simple pattern and a leather slippers to match but looking smart and clean.

His clothing was the cheapest amongst us.

I walked out of the meeting angry and vowing never to indulge in self-deceit again.

I have learnt that people are more bothered about your content than estimating the cost of what you wear.

Since then, I have been making my clothes cheaper and rather keep improving the content of my person.

Surprisingly my societal relevance keeps improving with improvement in content than clothing.

The worst deceit is self-deceit and it’s the easiest path to self-destruction.

Little wonder Walter Anderson said:

“Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.”

We give to impress the crowd.

We dress to impress and intimidate the people around us.

We cook to compete with our neighbours.

We eat in certain places to impress the society.

We spend to impress the society.

We drink to be part of the society.

We cheat to impress the crowd and live in self-deceit.

We borrow to impress the people during burials.

The grave for the death is more expensive than our homes.

The caskets are more expensive than our beds.

We spend during our wedding to impress the crowd.

I recall I didn’t make a single souvenir during my wedding but it was groovy.

There was also no wine and no toast during the wedding to reduce cost.

It changed nothing and it took no shine off the wedding.

People will always complain if that is your fear but never deceive yourself.

How sophisticated were Mandela, Mother Theresa and Gandhi, yet they have refused to die in our hearts.

The style that last longest in the heart of people is the simplest.

Reference: Anonymous collections with no copyright.