STACKING THE ODDS IN YOUR FAVOUR - 1

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.?And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond?what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also?provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

Life is not fair. I wish I could write that in bold capitals and make every single person on earth read it! But I bet you probably already know it. Bad things happen to good people and bad people sometimes - embarrassingly often - experience good fortune. Dreams become nightmares and hopes get shattered by circumstances beyond the individual's control. More often than not, our reality is a far cry from our loftiest aspirations and we have no clue whatsoever on how to bridge the divide. At various junctions, life deals us some bad cards.

Sickness with a very bad medical prognosis.

The loss of a loved one.

Business losses.

A dream job becoming the very bed of nightmares.

Betrayal by trusted ones.

What started as a storybook, fairy-tale marriage suddenly gone awry.

An unwanted pregnancy that truncates many things, including the desire to go on living.

The list is endless.

When things like these happen, the natural reaction of many is frustration and a palpable sense of hopelessness. In my other role as a pastor, I get to counsel people, many of who come to me with that sense of gloom that says, "The roof just caved on my head". As the conversation progresses and you try to offer hope you get a response that can be summarized as "Pastor, you don't really understand. I wish you knew what I have been going through. I don't think even hell can be worse than this. I know God can do all things but Pastor, I am not sure that my case is redeemable"

The skepticism is so palpable. Understandably so. Everybody going through a bad curve in life usually believes that his case is unique. That is why many people hardly ever get out of the rut. I have been in the same grind before. So has anyone who ever succeeded. I am yet to meet a leader who never walked that path.

Are you currently in a situation where you feel that all the odds are stacked against you? Do you want out of that seemingly interminable cul-de-sac? Let me hold your hand as we navigate a pathway to a brighter and better tomorrow.

The first thing you need to do is to gain perspective. You must first believe that there is a way out even if you don't yet see it. A wise man recognizes that when he is in a hole, the most sensible thing to do is to stop digging! Common sense, right? The unfortunate thing is that common sense is not so common, especially when faced with a crisis. Recognize that no matter your present experience, it was somebody else's past - or even current - reality! You are the peculiar and unique one, not your circumstance! For one person that did not make it through the experience, you will find, if you are vigilant enough, ten people who not only survived it but have conquered it!

Next, shun stereotypes. Stereotypes are designed to confine you to a mindset that locks you into a herd experience in defining your circumstance. Such include racial prejudices, social class stratifications, tribal nuances or even family experiences that seem to follow a pattern. In Nigeria among the Igbo, there is a caste system that places the people labeled 'Osu' into the class of sub-humans. A similar situation exists in India where a group of people known as the ‘dalit’ or untouchables, is a subject of discrimination. According to an article in the National Geographic edition of June 2003, “Because they are considered impure from birth, Untouchables perform jobs that are traditionally considered "unclean" or exceedingly menial, and for very little pay. One million Dalits work as?manual scavengers, cleaning latrines and sewers by hand and clearing away dead animals.”

?What this means is that if you belong to the caste of the outcast, you are almost doomed to a life of penury and worthlessness. The average Australian does not believe that the aborigines are capable of any civilized conduct even though the aborigines were the original owners of the territory presently known as Australia. Till today, aborigines are largely confined to settlements mapped out for them and can hardly integrate into the mainstream of Australian social life. Up until the late '60s in America when Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X and many others in that persuasion pioneered the Civil Rights Movement, Blacks were regarded in America as sub-human offspring of slaves who were incapable of rational thought and so should not have equal rights with their white counterparts. Although significant efforts and legislation are being made to eliminate these imbalances, it has not been possible to eradicate them.

None of these prejudices is based on any scientifically proven thesis. Unfortunately, although many of the people in the tainted statistics have broken through the glass ceiling and proven that grey matter is what is found in every brain, some of those prejudices still hold in many societies and cultures all over the world.

However, it is not enough to shun stereotypes. Break them. Stereotypes are not your type. Choose to be the exception to the rule. I once heard late Myles Munroe tell a story about his childhood. In school one day, one of his teachers, Mr. Robertson, a white man from Scotland, called him a half human, half monkey who was incapable of learning anything complicated. The young Myles cried all the way home. On getting home and narrating the experience to his mother, she calmed him down and told him why it was essential to ensure that the teacher's postulation didn't become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Then she opened a scripture in Philippians 4:13 that says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". She made her memorize and repeat it to himself several times daily. She also ensured that even in the most poorly-lit environment with only a lantern available, her son studied as if books would go out of fashion. Soon enough, his grades not only improved, but he also went ahead to finish as the best student in his final class.

The story does not end there. Several years later, now at the head of an international ministry to leaders worldwide, Myles was invited to speak at a conference in London. At the end of the meeting, Myles was to autograph his books for participants who had bought copies. On the queue was an elderly gentleman who Myles could not recognize. When it got to his turn, he reintroduced himself to Myles with a profuse apology. The two of them locked themselves in an embrace and shed tears uncontrollably.?It turned out that he had read every book written by the same person he had called a monkey several years earlier. Thanks to a mother who believed in God more than she did stereotypes, the 'monkey' that could "never learn" had become his teacher's teacher!

You too can change your story by changing your perspective to life, your circumstance and about yourself. To get a different outcome, you need a different outlook!... continued