Sometimes the word of God seems like clichés in our life
such that even though we remind ourselves of His promises, when it truly
happens, we are indeed like them that dream(Psalm 126: 1). This is exactly my
analysis of what has been happening in my life and career thus far.
When I started my foray into the media world 4 years ago
after a 9 year stint in the banking industry, I won’t lie, it seemed like an
impossible task. In fact, prior to joining the media I had done soap making,
corsage making, shawarmar & Chapman training, management training, hair and
costume jewelry selling to mention a few.
All of these were towards making ends meet and getting something
to feed my 2 children and I as a single mum.
However, in the course of this journey, there was no fufilment of any
sort and I was just doing them as a means to an end.
One thing that was consistent in all these my different
ventures though, was the growth and
strength of my relationship with God. It
became the case of "holding on to the hem of His garment" since I had chosen not
to compromise my values just because I wanted to survive.
It became a case of “its
God or nothing” and I must confess it was a very difficult path to tread (although it gets easier with time) But the truth is, anytime I wanted to throw in the towel and
break my resolve and compromise my faith or values, God will always show
up and keep me going and I gradually came to understand that I didn’t have to
sleep with any man to get money or be happy, rather, God is the one that can
make a man or woman bless you.
In the course of learning this lesson. I also started to
talk to God about a career especially since I wasn’t getting any younger and most
of my friends and colleagues that we started together seemed to be way ahead in
their careers with many already managers in their various industries.
This was
another difficult and painful pill to swallow but God made me come to
understand that time and chance happened to all men and He hadn’t brought me
thus far to leave me even though it seemed like every day was a continuous
struggle with debts left, right and center.
I learnt how to ask God to direct my paths and order my
steps which is something most of us need to do in order to align with God’s
purpose for our lives. He finally led me into the media world where funny
enough, a woman I had never met before, gave me a chance to work in her radio
station.
I won’t lie, getting that job was indeed a miracle and I thought
that was the biggest miracle ever, not knowing that God was just starting with
me and I still had another battle to face in terms of proving my capability as
an On Air Personality. From News
reporting, news production, news reading and finally becoming a presenter, it
was a road filled with so many twists and turns.
I can't count the number of times I cried and even wanted to
throw in the towel but because I had made God my Rock and reached the point
where I couldn’t do anything without asking Him first, I stayed put, even when
many times I will write my resignation letter and God will tell me NO!
This was also coupled with the fact that I kept telling God
that I wanted to present programs that will add value to people’s lives and
also serve as a way for me to tell more people about who God is through
inspiration and motivation.
My chance eventually came and I was given a children and
gospel show to present but the downside was that it was only on weekends! Imagine
just working twice a week, while the other days were just administrative
functions. This also became an issue for me and I kept asking God if this was
really where he wanted me to be. His answer for me was, "I will use you for my
Glory and announce you to the world….hmnnn, WHEN??!"
This was always my heart
cry but then, it was another lesson that God was teaching me which was being
patient and waiting for His time. Initially, I felt just presenting 2 days a week wasn’t
enough to make any impact until I started getting feedback from people I didn’t
even know as to how something I said or did on air actually made a difference
in their lives.
The children’s show was also another part that blew my mind
because I found out I genuinely cared about the kids and parents I was
presenting to and it stopped being a job for me but a mission that God had
placed in my hands to do.
I finally got to the point where I decided even if its just
one hour I have to talk on air, I MUST make it count and people’s lives MUST be
positively impacted. I also decided to
always have an attitude of gratitude to God in all things, being confident of
the fact that any situation I find myself in will always work out for my good.
This
resolve came up in November 2015 and today, February 2016, just 3 months after,
the story has TOTALLY changed! First off came an award nomination of "On Air Personality of
the Year" in December which I found amazing considering the fact that I used to
present just 2 times a week.
In January 2016, the children’s show I present also
got a Nigerian Broadcasters Merits award nomination as "Best Kiddies Show on Radio"!
That’s not all, I
now work practically every day of the week doing the same thing I was doing on
weekends but this time reaching a wider audience.
Why am I telling all this long story, it is to encourage
someone reading this that God is not through with you yet! The fact that He
allows you live to see another day means you still have an assignment you haven’t
completed and the thing is that with God, His assignments are usually on a mega
level.
However, you need to get to that point where you “Let Go, Let God",
align yourself with His will and wherever you may find yourself right now, just
keep serving as unto the Lord. Make sure you are adding value to people in any
way you can and it doesn’t even have to be financial.
Yes, I have sown some finances in the course of this career I
am in, but it was money well spent because while some went into putting smiles
on many children’s faces, others went into improving on myself by going for
courses to build up myself personally and career wise so that I will always
have more to give out.
I want to encourage you not to allow your environment or
situation become a limitation to you because the truth is often time, we ourselves are the limitation and not anybody else. You can do or be anything
you set your mind on as long as you make God number one priority and ensure it
is geared towards adding value to others.
Don’t allow people’s negative assumptions
about you become your reality. Of course I have made some mistakes along the
way but the truth is, as human beings we are always a work in progress so if at
first you don’t succeed, pick yourself up and try again!
