One of the many great things about Africans is that we love & value family. It’s so much so that for many of us, family goes beyond the setup of a married couple with their kids. I’m sure a number of us can recall referring to cousins, nephews & sometimes childhood friends simply as ‘brothers’ or ‘sisters’ and even considering them as members of our immediate family. It is for this reason that when you’re a young adult lady, so much emphasis is placed on anticipating the day of your betrothal & all the aunties will begin to pop up the “Is there someone” question; and, if you’re newlyweds, everyone is anticipating the “we’re expecting” news. While this is an absolutely lovely aspect of life, truth is things don’t always happen this way for everyone.
I have highlighted the family side of things but expectations come to us across all areas of life. Those in business are working towards an increase in profits; at work, we anticipate promotions etc. But I find that the biggest frustrations in life happen when we have given something our very best, our all, we have done everything ‘right’, conducted ourselves in decent & responsible ways, laid plans, worked hard and yet reap very disappointing results. I’m sure someone out there would relate to a situation where they worked hard, did more than what was expected of them in the workplace to only be greeted one morning by the shocking news that the position they were so suitable for was given to someone else perhaps less competent than them.
Often, our childhood dreams, wishes and expectations get severely challenged by the many harsh realities of life, and when life takes a totally different direction than that which we envisioned, we begin to realize that very little is predictable in this life. These disappointments, if we’re not too careful, can lead us to living a life of total despair. Unable to bear this despair, some have gone as far as committing suicide.
Each of us has a story to tell of a bad season we’ve been through or are going through right now. But here at 1Africa, one powerful thing that keeps us going is that we trust that after all is said and done, we will have plenty to rejoice about. You may want to ask why trust, when years of hard work, discipline, commitment got you nowhere thus far? The trust we are talking about is based on and sustained by the nature and the solid character of the One in whom we trust. He is the God who says He knows the plans He has formed for you, they are plans to give you hope and a future. Because He has proven to be faithful to His word, we trust there’s a future for you. Yes failure isn’t easy to deal with but what you lost or don’t have isn’t all there is to life. The choice to mourn about what isn’t going right or believe that you have a future is yours. We’d love to see you embrace the life that God has for you and do so in relationship with him. If you’d like to find out more about how you can take the first step, please click on the banner below and watch the short video that follows.