PURPOSE

Dunno what happened, it totally skipped my mind that its Childrens' Day today and when I saw some signs that it was, I argued in my mind and even shook my head at 'these funny Nigerians', trying to change Childrens' Day! Imagine? A whole Childrens' Day! You cant therefore begin to imagine MY embarrassment and chagrin when I got to church & again heard 'Happy Childrens' Day' from the pulpit. It made me reluctantly check the calendar on my phone and discover that I was the only funny Nigerian this time around. We never read directions!Even for navigating day to day!

So, in church, this lady came to speak to the entire congregation about purpose and it reminded me of something I read a while back that has helped me in defining my purpose over the last couple of years. I think it helps to write the answers to the questions down and at the point of review to read and write new answers. The review could also apply to the questions and I believe they can be adapted as we all desire. These questions will help point you in the general direction that you wish to go and if you review and see the direction isnt where you hope to end up, just do a re-direct is all!

1. What are your five most important values in life?

2. What are your three most important goals in life RIGHT NOW?

3. What would you do and how would you spend your time if you learned today that you had six months left to live?

4. What would you do if you won ten million dollars cash (and tax free!) in a lottery?

5. What have you always wanted to do, but been afraid to try doing?

6. What do you most enjoy doing?What gives you your greatest feeling of self esteem & personal satisfaction?

7. What one great thing would you dare to dream of doing if you knew you could not fail?

I did say I read this somewhere & cant remember where? Its so important to define purpose to be able to maximally function and preparation is half the work is my reasoning. I always tell the story about Jacob & Esau and how if Jacob had only the ten seconds during which Esau asked for porridge to think up what he wanted in exchange, the story would be different today but he had probably been thinking about how to get ahead ever since an evil uncle who wanted to stir up trouble in Isaac's family told him about the rights of the firstborn (oh! Sorry! I know it doesnt say so, but somewhere in my head, that's what happened!). Anyway, he was PREPARED such that he knew what to bargain for when the longthroat asked for his food or stop & think about it for one minute, what really has porridge to do with birthright? Easy to see the connection in retrospect but try & be Jacob & Esau for a minute & you'll learn why preparation is EVERYTHING.

I am worried for the Nigerian child, living in Nigeria. While children around the world are learning, children in Nigeria are learning to cope, cope with hunger, cope with darkness, cope with adults who are so frustrated that they cant stop themselves from taking same out on children they love so much that to watch them live under the conditions they live in kills them. The child in Nigeria needs purpose more than any child on the surface of the earth. They need to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to even begin to live a regular below average life. 

With a rich country in terms of climate and natural resources, the misuse and mismanagement of the same by what some term governance is mind boggling. It may be a good time for all involved in the utilisation of the nation's resources to think about the purpose to which they wish to put the responsibility they have been entrusted with cos a day of reckoning will come, when the children of today will have grown up and are in charge of the resources and are not very disposed to utilising same for those who are too old to do a lot for themselves based on what they are doing with the resources today.

That may be a good thing to ponder on this Childrens' Day!