DON’T FIGHT YOUR SEASON
If we know what to do in our seasons of life, we wouldn’t fight it but rather embrace it, as it is all a journey in our story.
The Service Year
I was watching the movie “the train” by Mount Zion films recently, a part of the story reminded me of a similar event in my life years ago. This movie inspired me to pen this down, and this story might encourage someone.
Over ten years ago, when I finished my first-degree program and I was waiting for my NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) posting, a one-year compulsory youth service program for those under the age of 30 in Nigeria with the aim of nation-building and development. I went to the university to check out my posting and discovered I was posted to the North-Central part of the Country. I was happy as I felt it was an area where a large portion of the population communicate in my native language, so language wouldn’t be a barrier. A lot of my colleagues felt I might have influenced the location of my posting because a lot of people were posted far North and East. I was just telling; it is God.
Fast-forward, we went to the camp, and because of the stories I have heard about youth service camps, I felt there was no way I would scale through the three weeks camping period under military training and the famous “endurance trek,” and I wouldn’t fall ill. Interestingly I didn’t, although I had body pains from rigorous exercises.
The time at the camp was quite interesting. Upon entering the camp, I was selected to be part of the 36-states parade, which I felt was a privilege. We were to parade for the commissioning of our youth service set by the governor of the State, which required us to do rehearsals while our mates were chilling.
I made lovely friends from my cubicle, Bimbo, who am still in touch with, we both attended the same youth corp member Christian fellowship and Yemisi. Yemisi and I both love to play pranks. We had heard about how corp members make out in dark places in the night, so we usually go with our torch to those places, flash it to distract those involved in the act, and they immediately disperse thinking people were approaching, then we would both burst in laughter. At least we were useful in distorting sinful acts (*winks*).
I got involved in social activities while on the camp, which made the stay more fun and memorable, even though we had to bare sore bodies.
Primary Place of Assignment
On our last day on camp, we were all lined to get our letters to our primary places of assignment, got mine, and saw I wasn’t posted to the state capital, where I wanted to be like my other friends. I wasn’t happy; I was posted to a high school in one of the local government areas of the State. On getting to my place of primary assignment, I was stunned as it was a remote village with houses miles away from the school. My heart was shattered, and I asked; God why here?
In the school, corp members were expected to live on the premises surrounded by bush with the next sight of a house miles away. I said to myself, how can I live here? I cried my eyes out. When I and other corp members who were posted there, visited the Principal, he could read my expression that I didn’t want to serve there.
The most shocking part was the fact that people in the village, built houses without toilets, this realization was very new to me because not in my wildest dream have I, ever imagined modern houses without toilets in today’s age. Thankfully, I had started mastering the act of shot-putting during the time at the camp as no one wanted to contract toilet disease, so for the next one year, I would have to continue the act.
I traveled back home downcasted, and my parents tried to influence either a post to the State capital or a town 30 mins near the village or an actual posting out of the State as I wasn’t happy but all to no avail. What was more surprising was the fact that others were able to redeploy when I was told, it was impossible. This reminds me of what Apostle Joshua Selman usually say; “the process that births glory is not negotiable. it is something you cannot pray away”.
Settling in
I returned grumpily to the school but was staying in a town 30 minutes away at the Christian corp members lodge for a while, hoping to get a good space of mine over there, which was futile. One day, the principal called me and asked how long do I want to continue going back and forth? He offered to open the Principal lodge for two others and me, so we agreed.
I resolved to let the will of God prevail. I settled in and made the apartment homey so that I can be in the right frame of mind. Thanks to my parents, they helped in bringing over some gadgets and a sewing machine, so I had the time to engage in my hobby during my stay. My room became the center of relaxation for corp members on the school premises, which was comforting.
Students traveled to school because the school was isolated and far away from the main village. The students were a blessing to us; they helped to get water and cut down the bush in our apartment as the apartment was standing alone in the bush opposite the school. We had to go into the interior village on motorcycles to get food essentials or travel to the next town if we needed bulk essentials. To keep myself sane, I had to resort to spending every weekend in the neighboring town with friends for close to a year of my service period.
The Purpose
I resorted to fate and started teaching. Gradually I found solace teaching as I saw how these young children and those in the senior classes weren’t optimistic about life. They weren’t sure what to expect of their future as most of them were from poor homes. I took it upon myself to motivate them and got them to know God, and I even got to know them even closer. Understanding their world and making them realize they can pursue great dreams. I saw their spirit lifted, stated encouraging them to strive for excellence attaching rewards from my pocket. Identifying slow learners and helping them believe they can also do well, and their academic performances improved.
The school usually organize a literary competition every Friday after school, I saw it was boring and had to step in with innovative ideas that made the student interested in waiting behind, it wasn’t about forcing them to participate anymore as it was fun. They didn’t want to miss out. I also introduced a cooking competition (see Picture 1) that had never been done in the school and had to seek the school authority to use a bigger space for the event. The Principal was happy to see all these changes and how engaging the students were, even though most of the reward had to be compensation from my corp member allowance, I was happy doing all these.
At the end of my service year, I had become attached to the place, and it then dawned on me the reason why I was in the school. I felt fulfilled. If I had served in the city in an establishment, I wouldn’t have impacted lives as I was able to do, in the school.
1 Chronicles 12:32 (KJV)
And the children of Issachar, which were men that had an understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brothers were at their commandment.
If I had known my purpose from the very beginning, I wouldn’t have invested my energy to leave but yield myself wholeheartedly to the call. Thankfully, I decided to let God, and the result was a sense of fulfillment. Whenever we are faced with situations in life or in places that seem rather unappealing, we should instead stop and ask God what am I to do? Because sometimes it might be God setting you up in a place of process/ molding (remember Joseph in the bible, he was used to having dreams of people bowing to him, but nobody warned him of the lies and prison experiences before becoming “the dream”). Having an understanding of what to do like the children of Issachar takes off unnecessary stress.
Little did I know, that I would return to the same State, years later to work and Yemisi my friend (then married with kids) from the cubicle, whom I hadn’t been in touch with since we finished service year, was going to be the person to house me for two months before I settled in the state capital. As I write this, I do believe my little contribution would have set world changers in motion from that small village. Most of the time, God sets us in dark places, so our lights can shine. Always remember that light is most effective in dark places.
Matt 5:16 (KJV)
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
