We are all conceived in the same way. Sperm penetrates egg—in the darkness of the fallopian tube or in a brightly lit laboratory. A new life comes into existence. After spending months in a womb, a child is born. As the child exits the womb, the baby cries, while those around are filled with joy.
It’s a new life, a new personality. Whole vistas of possibilities appear in the horizon. This new individual would have major influence over some of those possibilities, but many life-shaping events would not leave any variables to be influenced.
You can choose whether to study committedly, but you cannot choose your nursery, primary, and maybe secondary school. Some do not even get to choose their tertiary institution. You had no say in the choice of your birth family or foster family, but you can choose whether to love your family.
Some lose their parents at an early age. Some develop illnesses that turn their families to penury. Some lose their jobs at a time when their expenses just increased. Some spend hours in school and never seem to understand. Some are born as sicklers, spending much of their lives in hospitals. Some contract polio and lose their limbs. Some have families that do not love them.
At the other end of the spectrum, good things happen that we have no say over. Some reach the age of 40 and still have parents and grandparents. Some enjoy good health, never causing their families any financial losses. Some get good jobs easily and find themselves rapidly climbing the corporate ladder. Some become flourishing entrepreneurs, running highly successful business empires. Some possess amazing talents that set them apart. Some are able to understand schoolwork easily, and stay at the top of their class. Some have physiques that make them “natural cheats” in sports. Some have families that adore them.
Who decides who gets what? Some scientists say everything is random. The word “coincidence” is used to explain many events. However, I have a different view. I believe in God, and believe He oversees affairs in the universe.
If God is in charge; then, does it mean He is an oscillating character, dishing out good and evil to different persons? No! He’s not lukewarm. His compass is always pointed at “true good”. His thoughts are for good, not for evil.
If God’s thoughts are good, then why do people face evil? Some “bad” people enjoy their lives, while some “good” people face a barrage of evil. I do not have a reason for this. I cannot explain it, but I know God’s Word that says He will show mercy to whomever he chooses.
Recently, I had to do some thinking. I spoke with a lady who was struggling to survive. “Hustling”, she called it. At least, her hustle was legal. She lost her dad while preparing for WASSCE. Now, she was trying to raise money to buy a UTME form. With empathy, I considered what it would have been like to lose my dad before my final exams. Did she do anything to deserve it? No!
Even when situations seem bad, we can strengthen ourselves in the knowledge that God is still in charge. The person enjoying waves of good events should be thankful, knowing that it’s all a function of God’s grace. God is the author of good. He allows evil in the universe, but the evil never comes from Him.
This may sound odd, but whenever I face an unpleasant situation, I think of people in worse situations, and I am thankful because I know that I could have been them. Being cheerful gives me a boost to overcome any challenge. When I enjoy good, I am also thankful. I have enjoyed lots of good times. In all, I know it’s God, not me. Even when the good appears to be the result of my direct efforts, I acknowledge that some other person may have done exactly what I did and was rewarded with disappointment.
Who deserves what? Nobody. The good, bad and ugly, we should receive and remain happy no matter what. If you think everything is bad; at least, you are alive. Someone just died.
Jilomes 