A creator knows best what his creation is suited for; what can corrupt it and what can propel it to the fulfillment of its full potential. What can be said of an inventor is not just one who brings forth something into existence, but one who made an object with the intent of the object working perfectly in accordance with the motive for which he created it. The inventor does not just invent, he gives the object an objective. Therefore, the inventor ought to be sought in the pursuit of the purpose for which his invention was made. Speaking of inventors, it is made clear in John 1:3 that the word made all things and without him(the word) nothing was made. It follows that, for everything that was made, its divine purpose cannot be found outside the boundaries of the word and God’s will. So as part of His creation, it is necessary that man subdues all his desires to seek God, His word and His kingdom, if he is to be a success. It is worthy at this point to note that, after reading about the life and ministry of the Archbishop; Nicholas Duncan-Williams, the greatest lesson I took home was that, all our efforts to attaining success would be futile if the Lord is not sought first. It is a reflection of the passage in Matthew 6:25-34 with emphasis on the 33^rd verse which suggests that seeking first the righteousness of God and His kingdom is a sufficient condition for attaining wealth, health, happiness and every other thing that is a need.

THE GREATEST LESSON LEARNT FROM THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF ARCHBISHOP NICHOLAS DUNCAN-WILLIAMS.

THIS LESSON STEMS FROM FACT

This lesson stems from the fact that, though the Archbishop had a desire to climb the rungs of the ladder of greatness, he was never successful until he had an encounter with God on the bed of affliction. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he worked, no matter how clever his schemes were, everything he tried to build was tumbled down by a gentle push by the finger of God. Decades on, he has one of the biggest ministries in Africa and the world at large due to his loyalty to God and His kingdom. Submission to God’s will is all that we need to fulfill our divine mandate and have true happiness in our endeavors. In some detail, I will show that his failures and successes led to my conclusion on this lesson.

Though he did live with a single mother and it was quite evident that this resulted in his deficiency in financial resources, it was never a hinderance to his work ethic but a fuel to ignite an attitude of resilience in the Archbishop during his youth. Resilience however, was never enough as he was forced to relinquish a short lived stint juggling a newspaper sales job with wooden food carriage truck-pushing due to circumstances beyond his control. It was God’s plan that until He got his attention, his(Archbishop’s) will and determination to succeed would come to nought.

I would have to mention that, the major influence on my lesson was young  Nicholas’ visit to a fetish priest who asserted that the only one who could help him was the almighty God. This in my opinion was unusual and it raises the question of why someone who belongs to the forces of destruction would give advice that brings glory to Jehovah. Such an occurance is a clear indication of the fact that without God, it is impossible to find your purpose in life. If we shall be willing to throw our hands up and surrender all our efforts to God and believe  in the finished work of Christ, we have taken the first step to discovering our purpose and faith in any other god would be detrimental to our progress. To come to God, one must know that He is, and that He is a rewarder of they that diligently seek Him.

The ministry of the Archbishop has grown from glory to glory mainly because he has set His sight on the living God and is persuaded that He is the foundation of everything. In the midst of storms, trials and betrayal by men, the ministry stands firm because the focus has never been on the success defined by humans but that which is defined by God. True success is defined by God and if only we would humble ourselves and seek him first, we shall find fulfillment in our purpose in life. Ideally, the inventor is the most knowledgeable about the purpose of his invention.

Environmentalists usually say that ‘when the last tree dies, the last human also dies’. The veracity of this statement is unquestionable because humans are dependent on plants for a whole lot. Think about it; our food, medicine, furniture, and stationery are produced from plants. We even engage in gaseous exchange with plants when they release oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis. Humans would barely exist without plants and that’s why we say that humans would cease to exist without them. Have you ever considered what the world would be like if the last mother ceased to exist?

Have you ever considered what the world would be like if the last mother ceased to exist?

THE SENSES OF MOTHERHOOD

Before I continue with this blog, I’d like to clarify I would be considering motherhood in two senses. The first sense is what I would call biological motherhood and the other sense would be referred to as normative motherhood. A biological mother would refer to anyone that is a mother by childbirth. Any woman who has given birth to a child still in existence qualifies to be designated by the term ‘mother’ in a biological sense. By normative motherhood, I’m referring to the features that characterize anyone we can call a good mother. What is a mother supposed to look like? How does a mother treat the children around her whether she’s biologically related to them or not? Ideally, motherhood is not about being biologically related to those you take care of but about being a guide, a nurturer, a protector, a motivator, etc. Women do not have to be biologically capable of childbirth to be great mothers because true motherhood isn’t a biological feature. So back to our question, what would the world be without our nurturing, kind and motivating mothers.

1. A WORLD OF EMOTIONAL TROUBLE

Scientists have emphasized how important it is for children to have their mothers emotionally and physically available to them in their first three years at least. Nania (2017) posits that a lot of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) didn’t have the presence of their mothers to help them with stress regulation. A lot of the psychological issues children face are a result of their mothers not being available to them. It is a fact that psychologically healthy children usually had their mothers providing them with the needed emotional and mental cushion. A world without caring mothers would be a world full of emotionally troubled individuals. Thank God that our societies are full of mothers who have provided and continue to provide the needed mental, emotional and physical support to their offspring.

• A WORLD OF INDISCIPLINE

Have you ever been grounded or had your toys and video games confiscated because you did something wrong? Mothers are disciplinarians and their contributions have been immense in our journey to being responsible and godly individuals. Imagine that we didn’t have such training at the beginning of our lives. Most of us would’ve been liabilities to society if we did not have our mothers strictly enforcing their principles of morality in our lives. Mothers are extremely important because they are usually the ones who introduce us to society’s accepted norms, values, and moral standards.

• A WORLD WITHOUT COMPASSION AND SELFLESSNESS

Mothers are just instinctively compassionate and selfless. Any woman who carried a child in her womb for nine months carried out a selfless act. Allowing another human being to reside in your body for nine months reveals a mother’s willingness to be in uncomfortable situations to help others flourish. Some mothers take leaves and quit their jobs to give their children the needed time and attention. Mothers can put their entire lives on hold just so we can be great men and women in the future.

LET’S CELEBRATE MOTHERS.

Proverbs 31:28

Her children arise and call her blessed;

 her husband also, and he praises her:

Proverbs 31:28 shows us that the virtuous woman deserves to receive praise from her husband and children. The fact that the Proverbs 31 woman has her children praising her implies that she was a great mother to them. From the scripture, we can see that her husband also praised her, this shows that she was a great wife as well. As mothers’ day fast approaches, we need to understand that our mothers deserve to be celebrated. They have been a blessing to us and they need to be blessed and celebrated not just on mothers’ day but every day. 

Reference

Nania R (2017, May 19) WTOP news. Why prioritizing motherhood in the first three years is critical.

CHALLENGES BUILD CHARACTER.