Venire…Videre…Vincere

ECG did its ‘thing’. The radio went off. Power was restored but not through the radio and no one seemed to realize. I feigned inattentiveness when a colleague asked me to put on the radio as the office was all quiet and uninteresting. I reluctantly stretched my hand to hit the switch button when he made the call again after about a minute later, and heard Dr Mensa Otabil at his usual best, teaching the Word of God. If I had heeded my colleague’s earlier call, I’m sure I would have caught the title of his teaching. Blame inertia.

 In the course of his teaching, Pastor Otabil made a statement I don’t fully subscribe to. It was when he sought to explain what the Apostle Paul said in his epistle to the Philippians that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him. “That statement must not necessarily be swallowed hook, line and sinker. “What does it mean then?” I caught myself asking rather loudly. Incidentally, my boss also thought same and after making his point, he showed me a TEDx video in which Sean Stephenson was the speaker. He obliged when I asked him to send the video to me via Whatsapp. Forgetfully, I didn’t view the contents until after about 3 days when I found myself watching funny videos and images I had on my phone out of boredom. So I hit the play button and the next few words you will read were inspired by Sean.  Some of my points are somewhat tangential but it’s worth reading.

Now Sean strongly advises us not to believe any pronouncement that doesn’t empower us, and I agree wholeheartedly. I’ll bet most people have been recipients of such pronouncements our whole lives. Venomous mortals will stop at nothing to remind us of our inability to do one thing or another. Their going all lengths to ensure that you give their discouraging comments some serious thoughts goes without saying. Were they not there to remind you of your lack of funds when you decided some years ago to start your own company? Look where that got you. Were they also not at the corner waiting to ask about the relevance of that beauty therapy course you decided to enrol on? Again, look where that got you. Did they not dissuade you from making contact with that lady you drool over because “she’s not you class”? I need not ask where that got you. When you believe such pronouncements, you will wither away and die (either physically, spiritually or mentally), as you just walk on the face of the earth like a carcass following the masses.  My prediction; they are not going to stop. But do yourself a favour by believing only those pronouncements that empower you to do something worthwhile. And don’t only believe – make that move too!

Again, one of the worst things that can happen to an individual is self-pity. It freezes you out of potential. Understand that you are not your condition – it does not define who you are. The phrase ‘disability isn’t inability’ has gained currency over the years through many motivational speakers. The only instance they mean the same thing is when one refuses to rectify that anomaly. I have come to realize that we were all born with something in our mouths. You are fortunate if it was a silver spoon. If it wasn’t, well, you are still fortunate. Except that your ‘fortune’ lies in hard work. Listen, what you have in your mouth is a pick-axe. You have to dig the earth deep enough to reach that silver. And when you finally do, the joy is indescribable, I’ve heard. What’s more, by the time you reach it, you would have built your biceps and triceps from your toils, which will come in handy when you are faced with a challenging situation that requires strength to surmount.       

In my relatively short stay on earth, I’ve drawn the conclusion that people are locked behind bars, mentally and the keys thrown into the ocean, metaphorically. It sadly isn’t realized, for many people until late in life. We can’t claim perfection – no, not even one of us mortals. But that dare devil instinct that makes children do the very things they are warned against, is in us all, isn’t it? It might not be evident in the adult life, but that in itself does not deny its existence. It’s like that proverbial mad man whose insanity got cured, but still had a little in him to scare children away. A conscious attempt must be made to bring that attitude to the fore and refocusing its concomitant energy, to dive into the ocean in search of the keys. The kind that make people set out on a journey to find their legend. Some, unfortunately drown in the ocean for lack of diving know-how, some others find a key that doesn’t fit the lock and give up by swimming ashore. But few are able to find theirs, either at the first attempt or after several more. They just don’t stop. And that’s the attitude we must all strive to espouse. It doesn’t fall on one’s lap. Many ‘dare devils’ have told their stories cataloguing how the process of diving and knowing where to search in the ocean is a conscious, energy-sapping effort. But we belong to an era where looking back is cowardice and standing still is suicidal. Onwards, onwards we ought to march.             

Imagine being involved in a motor accident with multiple bone breakages in both legs. Now clear that squint and imagine a newly born baby suffering from same measure of pain in the whole body due to osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition which comes about as a result of bone breakages during delivery. Doctors say this condition snuffs life out of children after about 24 hours of their delivery. Terrifying, is an understatement, isn’t it? Well, that’s how Sean Stephenson was born. He survived the death scare miraculously, but spent much of his youth in pain and experienced stunted growth and mobility limitations. It also left him standing at just 3 feet tall, and rides in a wheelchair. Now, no brows will be raised if such a person sat by the roadside and solicited alms, right? But he didn’t let that define him and in his pitiful condition, he dived into the ocean and found the key to his lock and also found his legend in the process.

When the video ended, I actually concurred with Dr. Mensa Otabil when he made that statement. That statement by Apostle Paul must not be swallowed hook, line and sinker. Indeed, the Apostle was a hard worker in the vineyard of God. He certainly wasn’t speaking of any other activity when he boasted of his ability to do all things because he knew what God had called him to do - he had found his key. Do you sincerely believe Paul could have made waves, even remotely if he were engaged in any other field?

So when I say ‘Venire, Videre, Vincere’, I’m asking you to come into this world, identify where you are meant to operate, and ‘conquer’ it through Christ who strengthens you.

My name is Paa Kwesi Bentum Williams, and I want the last sentence of the eulogy at my funeral to read this: Here lies a man who came…saw…and conquered, through Christ who strengthened him!