BURDEN OF A WATCHMAN (New Series)

A SUCCESS STORY

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:12 KJV

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing and sometimes you must be ready to risk it all. Yes, how often these words put us on our feet every morning, striving to climb the ladder of success. Undoubtedly, a success story is an eventful story with an uneventful and ignoble path, especially when the success goal does not conform with popular declivity. For me, my utmost choice clearly defines on which sides of the battle I'm born to fight.

Though I swing my fist every day with the assurance that I will survive the most perilous situation and circumstance, It seems the existing system is designed to oppose the pact I have with destiny. As one who journeys against the wind, I have to adjust my sail between the will to rise above limitations and situations that downplay my impulse.

As much as I love to tame the grief that taunts my soul, there are seasons where unpleasant fate dealt a hefty blow against my faith, these awkward moments trim down every form of motivations, I became weary of the sayings "with greatness comes a heavy price" because time and tide tend to blackmail these entreaties of patience, painting them as stale and false hope. As my patience strives not to betray the cause, time seems to betray my patience. I could only wonder how heavy the price for greatness can get? But probably not much of a price if the success goal is limited to financial affluence, but when an appointment made with purpose strikes to the root of an age long contention between light and darkness, then all strengths and fibres had to be stuck into it. 

But for the beautiful outcome and the glorious ending, this unusual kind of success story is a story of distress and loneliness, a story of peril, plight and price. It's a story of how the enemy sponsors a fall and turn around to draw out an accusation on it. A story of learning to abound and to abase, a story that brings you into the company of angels today and then lead you through the shadow of demons tomorrow. A story that turns friends into strangers and makes alien your ally. A story with phases and chapters, A story that questions your calling, deprecate your stand, betray your intentions and challenge your convictions. A story of making what you live for worth dying for, A story that demands an answer of your loyalty to God a thousand times again.

Every journey of a noble cause is truly worth a success story, so also are its sacrifices. T. Roosevelt said, “...the credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly… who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold timid souls who have… known neither victory nor defeat.”

The table certainly will be set for my fraction of a success story, then, it shall be a story that does not fall into history but rises into a future with God. Such stories the saints and martyrs of old wrote with their blood and tears, a story of how mortality is swallowed up in immortality, a story of how the righteous rises after falling seven times. A story of crowns and credentials gathered through the aid of grace. A story of one who overcomes the world. My success story will be a great and eventful one, an amazing story of grace that shied my life of consistent impact and the onslaught of hell.

Oni Omotayo