The Eagle's Eye.....

Happy New week Friends! I hope we had a great weekend. On a lighter note, someone said weekends are made in China because they don’t last. I take an exception to people thinking that everything made in China doesn't last because I am aware that even in the developed countries; a lot of things we buy there are produced in China and they are making a huge impact on the world's economy! Anyway, weekends and weekdays are all days alike and it’s just imperative to make the good use of our time and spend each day well.

I had the opportunity of speaking at a youth forum yesterday evening and because motivating people is what I like to do, my day was made and I went to bed excited. It was a privilege talking to these young ones about how they can prepare for their future by having a good picture. I  used myself as an example and  shared with them of some of the things I have been able to achieve by the power of foresight I possessed from a younger age and I couldn't but wonder afterwards how far I have really  come in life and things I have achieved within a couple of years all attributable to God and my dedication. And much more, I believe the future hasn't started yet.

I stumbled on a passage in the book of Job about the life of an Eagle and I would want to share briefly from it today. The Eagle is one of the numerous wonderful creatures of God and it’s got so many amazing characteristics; strong eyes, builds its nest on a high cliff, trains its children in the most dynamic ways yet it can never be in the same class as man; who is  created absolutely in the image of God . Many studies have been done and articles written about the Eagle but one of the things we can learn from it today is its ability to detect opportunities from a great distance. 

Eagles have strong vision and so are able to identify its prey and focuses on it until it gets the prey. “Studies show that an eagle has eyesight estimated at 4 to 8 times stronger than that of the average human. As the eagle descends from the sky to attack its prey, the muscles in the eyes continuously adjust the curvature of the eyeballs to maintain sharp focus and accurate perception throughout the approach and attack” (culled from Wikipedia).. A passage of the scripture corroborates this explanation.

Job 26: 39(Message Version) Did you command the eagle's flight, and teach her to build her nest in the heights, Perfectly at home on the high cliff face, invulnerable on pinnacle and crag? From her perch she searches for prey, spies it at a great distance...

Examining the life of the eagle and how it spots its prey from a distance, what we can simply learn from it is that as human beings, undoubtedly the best of God’s creation efforts, we are not meant to live for the moment. Opportunities are everywhere every day. It takes the discerning to see afar and tap into the various chances that exist around us.  In my short time in this world, I have realised that the world changes at such a fast pace. Gone are the days when we used to go to the cyber café to browse and read our emails. You purchase a ticket for some minutes’ access and once the ticket finishes, the browsing session comes to an end. Many of those times, I remember how I would constantly check the remaining minutes left on the ticket and start to rush through all the many things things I needed to do. Of course, if I didn't have extra money left to purchase more time, I would have to come back in a few days' time, in anticipation that the emails I have sent out would have been replied. Come to think of it, what has happened to all those cybercafés around? Having a cybercafé was a big deal back then and a lot of them were established in many parts of different cities and big towns.

Today, the story has changed. There are all forms of smart phones in various forms, shapes and sizes and the common thing to them is that you can access and reply emails on the go, all manner of business is done on the move. You have access to internet without any restriction as long as you can afford the subscription fee which is arguably affordable. How about telephones? Up till year 2000 in Nigeria, except for very rich people who could afford the cellular phones (090xxxxxx), the NITEL landline was the order of the day. I would usually be ecstatic when the phone rang in the house particularly when my sister in the United Kingdom gives a hint she would call on a particular day. I remember my dad locking up the phone box so that we could  only receive calls and not make calls  but trust the boys, they devised a way of “tapping” the line to make calls and so when the bills come at the end of the month, my dad would wonder why it got so high!  Children and what they do!

Right now, NITEL doesn't even exist again and we have witnessed the emergence of GSM and all forms of internet based free chat methods where calls are made free of charge  e.g. yahoo chat, viber, skype etc. When GSM was initially introduced in Nigeria, it was a bit too expensive for many and we would go queue up at business centres to make calls. At least, it was better than the days of landlines only. But nowadays, having a mobile phone is so affordable for everyone that even secondary school students flaunt their phones and some of them proudly own a  blackberry too. Many thanks to the GSM providers who have made available low denomination recharge vouchers that are affordable to almost all. Honestly, I wonder where technology would be in the next 10-20 years.

The world is ever progressive and with the ways things are going, we can’t but develop a quest to remain relevant in life. The world changes by the minute and to remain relevant, you have to be able to see afar off so you won’t be relegated. Like the Eagle that sees it's next food from a distance and zooms in on it, we must be able to identify opportunities from afar and leverage on them. Sometimes, they may not look like it, but when you are drawn to a thing in particular or an interesting thought comes to you, pen it down, don’t discard it, give it a second thought as it might be an opportunity in the making that will give you a major break in life. Have you thought about some unique business idea and it looked impossible considering your present circumstances and few months down the line, you see someone establishing that same business just around you? Many identify the difficulty in every opportunity but the wise would identify the opportunity in every difficulty. Oh yeah, opportunities abound even in the midst of chaos.Joseph was in the prison but his life was not at a standstill. He made friends, he solved problems and on a fateful day, his life had a dramatic turnaround.

 The only way we can remain perpetually relevant in life is by being continuously connected to Him who knows the end from the beginning. He is actually the Trend Setter himself. No knowledge is hidden to Him; He is invariably the One who gives knowledge to the high and mighty and nothing in this world exists that does not emanate from Him. You need not tell Him anything because He knows everything even before they existed. He is very near and ever present in all places, sees the deep and secret things we do not know and these are things He reveals to us by His Spirit- that’s the edge we have as Christians. We can see into the future like the Eagle does. Talking about God Himself who is likened to the Eagle, He bares us on Eagles’ wings (Exodus 19:4)

Jeremiah 23: 23 (The Message version) Am I not a God near at hand"—God's Decree— "and not a God far off? Can anyone hide out in a corner where I can't see him?" God's Decree. "Am I not present everywhere, whether seen or unseen?" God's Decree.

Just an encouragement for all of us this morning….Let’s look afar, there are many opportunities waiting for us and since we are connected to the God who knows all things and even the end from the beginning , there is no end to limit to what we can achieve!

Enjoy a glorious week ahead!

The Pen…..