Miracles Happen on the Platform of Hard Work.

Remember the paralyzed man in the Biblical Capernaum, how he was carried by four of men? They could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, yet the men refused to give up. They made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. Among other things, it was their hard work along with faith that impressed Jesus who then said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

What about the wedding at Cana in Galilee where Jesus turned water into wine? Most times, people don’t refer to the efforts of the servants who had to fill six stone jars to the brim with water, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

And lest we forget the encounter a widow had with Prophet Elisha. The prophet could have performed some “abracadabra” to make the jar become multiplied in numbers. Rather, he directed her to first go get a lot of empty vessels (which she borrowed from neighbors). It was only then the poor woman was able to fill all the vessels with oil.  

Out there are too many folks who are practically folding their arms while waiting for some miracles to happen in their careers, marriages, relationships, business ventures and life generally. They call it faith. But ask them what they are doing to bring about the manifestation of their faiths and they glare at you as if you are of little faith. They see great things happening in the lives of others and automatically attribute them to some mere luck. If only they can move closer to behold the other persons’ many painstaking efforts.   

When It’s Time to Grow Up.

A COUPLE OF weeks after their wedding, Tunde had unwittingly resumed the reckless lifestyle he was pursuing as a bachelor. Quite undeterred by the adverse effects of his dangerous, rollicking past, the young man joined his friends to continue living as “boys” instead of the “men” they had become.
Every day, Tunde would always return home at the “eleventh hour” and with a different excuse per day. It was either an impromptu party he had to attend somewhere or simply that he had to go out with the “boys”. And on each occasion, he would return home looking drained, worn out and in a terribly drunken state.
In spite of these provocative attitude and lifestyle, a very patient Bola would, on each night, welcome the man home without any fuss.
This simple attitude, Tunde noted, was completely different from those of his friend’s wives. Almost every morning in the office, he would listen as his friends exchanged stories on the bitter quarrels and war of words that their wives waged against them for coming home late the previous night. He wondered why his wife never did any of such things to him.
He decided to satisfy his curiosity one night.
On the fateful night, the man had returned home very late as usual.
As Bola, holding on to a pillow that had been her companion all night, was on her way to the bedroom after chanting the “good night” line, he called her.
“Bola, can I have a word with you?”
The young lady stopped in her tracks. Then she turned back to face him with a curious expression.
“I hope there is no problem.”
“No…no problem. I just wanted to ask a question.”
“A question?”
“Yes. I’m just curious. Why is it that you don’t complain?”
“Complain…about what?”
“Come on, Bola…you’ve never complained about my night crawling…why?”
The young lady stared at her husband briefly without uttering a word in response. Then she smiled.
It was a very cold, cynical smile.
“Are you sure you want me to express my opinion on that issue?”
“Why not…go ahead.”
“Okay…I think the problem with young men like you is that you have refused to grow up.”
“What…what’s that supposed to mean, Bola?”
Even as Tunde’s expression turned ugly in reaction to this remark, Bola only shrugged her shoulders with her cold smile.
“Well…I did ask if you wanted me to express my opinion. And I’m just starting.”
“Ah…what else do you have to say after that ridiculous statement?”
“I’ll continue anyway. Unlike what obtains in many Nigerian homes, some of you young men have been privileged to acquire great academic education from some of the best universities in the world. But in spite of your fantastic qualifications, you are dense in attitudes. Absolutely empty…”
A stunned Tunde looked on speechlessly while the young lady continued with her vituperation.
“Look at you, for instance. Your parents sent you to the prestigious Harvard University in America to obtain a great academic education. But unfortunately and manifestly, you still lack the appropriate psychological stamina to cope with the real challenges of life…”
“Hey…now wait a minute!” Tunde interrupted, his eyes blazing red. “This is preposterous.”
“Please let me finish before you make your response. I’m forced to make this speech in the first place because you asked for it…”
“And so damn what?…” he cut in again.
“And so, you’ll have to wait till I’m done, alright?”
For a very few moment, both husband and wife glared at each other until the woman resumed her speech.
“Now, as I was saying…one of the challenges in life is marriage. You claim to be a married man but every evening, you keep talking about going out with the boys…boys? And I keep asking, when is my husband going to become a man…when is he going to grow up?”
She paused briefly on realizing that the man was speechless as he stared at her in utter disbelief.
“I can’t belief this…” Tunde finally managed to note quietly.
Unimpressed however, the young lady continued with her speech.
“And you thought I would complain…the same way your friends’ wives complain on daily basis…making fools of themselves? No sir! I married you for better, for worse. So, I just have to wait patiently and dutifully for you to grow up.”
She was about to leave but then turned around again.
“And by the way, have a good night, dear.”
With this conclusion, the obviously tired young lady finally turned to walk slowly towards the bedroom.
Stunned and stupefied beyond words, Tunde continued to glare at her contritely as she walked steadily into the bedroom.
“Wow…I guess I’ve got myself a philosopher for wife.”
Although there was to be no more reference to that strange incident, much to Bola’s surprise, Tunde stopped his wayward, boys-about-town activities, right from the following day. And whenever the man felt he had to attend a social function, he would insist that his wife accompanied him.

-Excerpts from The Price of Ignorance, http://www.amazon.com/Price-Ignorance-Femi-Olawole/dp/0615842968/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426783343&sr=1-1&keywords=the+price+of+ignorance+by+femi+olawole

Excerpts From The Price of Ignorance.

Chapter 3 (The Price of Ignorance).

To read chapter 3 from The Price of Ignorance, click on the above link. While at the location, click on the cover picture of the book and you'll be directed to the appropriate page.

The Price of Ignorance is a literary fiction on the travails of young, urban professionals who pay dearly for their inability to know the difference between having fun and living recklessly.