Entry 4 by: Prince Oricha (Twitter: @LaPrinceO)
My timeline in the 20+ short years I've lived is a brew of experiences
that've led to maturity in all aspects of my life. Naturally, spiritual
growth stimulated advancement in every other facet of my life.
This is my brief story:
December 20, 2002 — Before this date, all I knew was that I had
God-fearing parents and was from a closely knit, joy-filled home. I
didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus as my Saviour and
Lord. That day, God gave me a new Spirit, a new heart, new desires
and a new way to live.
Prior to this time, I'd been an average student. My primary school
years were marked with — among other (negative) traits — timidity;
fear of talking, or even being close to females (I always felt I could
never get married); mediocre academic performances; no trace of
leadership potential. But by the time I started secondary school in
September 2003, things began to gradually fall in place. Fortunately,
I joined the first set in a Christian mission school (Africa International
College). This meant for us who were pioneer students, the teachers
devoted lavish time to teach us and train us to become mature and
responsible within and outside the classroom.
It was this small, encouraging and tightly knit learning environment
that offered me an initial push to want to grow to learn as much as I
could about people, life and God. Serving in a wide range of posts
as time-keeper, library prefect, FCS secretary, and as the Senior
Prefect for three years opened me up to communicating with all
manner of people. Since I couldn't escape relating with many
students and teachers, and with the pedestal I was given, I knew the
best way to survive doing things I'd always feared, was to be myself
and do what I could by enlisting the help of those I'd have to work
with. Naturally, I was funny and I could make friends easily if I wanted
to. What I did then, was to keep close ties with every prefect, all the
teachers in school and maintain good character which I knew would
endear me to the school authorities even more. Nothing other than
consistency in these areas pulled me through all the years I served. I
finished the high school race among the top 3% in class and with a
solid track record of character and friendships maintained.
Enter Covenant University — I'm a small fish in a big pond. I could
never explain much of the successes I've had if I neglect to point out
the overwhelming hand of God in my affairs. Yes, I built habits in
aggressive study, in sports, in leadership, but they all pale in
comparison to the sovereignty of God in directing affairs that either
put me in the spotlight or connected me with the right people.
Having godly, serious minded friends opened me up to reformed
Christianity where I gave up many former, fatal beliefs about God
and embraced the real truth of the Bible. That, for me, remains the
biggest turn around in growth I had since I was a child. The real path
of growth here was taking time to build a viable, dependable
network of friends who I could trust to support, defend and spur me
to become a better person; people who I could depend on and have
them depend on me too when the hour arose. Till this day, I keep in
close contact with my friends - at least weekly - for the dual gain of
maintaining the relationship as well as hoping that when they rise
and I need their aid someday, I won't be caught out. The hope is
vice-versa; if I am in a place where they need me, I'll be fully assured
the quality of friends I have and go any length to proffer aid.
Finally, one major area of growth I have had in my spell from
Covenant University to the present day involves the way I have learnt
to view and handle money — as well as the money-making process.
During my Youth Service year, I developed a theory — earn, invest,
save, spend (wisely), repeat…an allusion to the “live, die, repeat”
process in Tom Cruise's Sci-Fi epic, Edge of Tomorrow. After
studying works about my financial hero, Warren Buffett, I figured it
was best to invest first before saving because of the advantage of
return on investment one could receive after a careful assessment of
the investments one sought to make. This theory gave me better
insight to managing money to the last penny. Not greed or
miserliness, but a commitment to ensuring God's blessing of money
to me didn't go into flimsy ventures. Since I built my financial
resources around this theory, I've had a deeper view and experience
of the way money should be employed to maximum utility.
Clearly, nothing in my growth story stands on its own. All the stages
have been intertwined, usually the result of some skill or some
opportunity or circumstance maximized in the past being useful
again at some other point for some other level of growth. That's why
in all my growth spheres (including the aspects I didn't touch), I don't
bring in chance, but God's providence as the tapestry weaving the
entire process together. Everyday, I commit all to Him and
acknowledge His wonderful Hand in all my affairs knowing that
without His aid, I cannot succeed and with Him, I cannot fail.
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