THE BIGGER PICTURE BY – Fagbola Tolulope Emmanuel

There comes a time when the cold bakes my bones and flesh like I should stop breathing. The tone of horror echoes, and it looks so beautiful, distracting me from my true purpose. I kept on playing along as the melody played a beautiful song that caused my heart to jingle. Again, pain rushed in like terror as if it was never what I thought it was. Then I sat and wept for a better day while lying helplessly on my bed, embracing the faith and hope that are aligned with my true purpose. In tune with it, I sang a song of hope with confidence to see a better season promised by the host of heaven.

The look was so terrible, as a white man got dressed in black skin. Everyone throws the stone of haughty questions, “Is this you? I thought you were strong, full of faith, and prayerful. Did you backslide? Oh! How did the Devil break off the boastful life you have in Christ by bringing you down?”

At this time, I yelled! In deep pain, I was almost forced to question my faith as I walked through the wall of hopeless fate and glanced through the mirror to see who I had turned out to be.

Soliloquizing…

“God, I know this was not what you promised me. You said to me that the plan you have for me is beautifully structured and patterned with the fragrance of prosperity, full of excellence and royalty. No, I am not meant to live like a slave!”At that moment, I was already moving into chaos because I had to check through my past to see if I had done something to create a predicament to face all the eventualities as consequences of my wrong choices – if at all, I had truly backslidden

At that moment, my intuition called my attention to time, instantly I remembered Ecclesiastes talking about the concept of time, which has been designed for both positive things and negative things that one is bound to face.

Sometimes it’s a test of faith, and sometimes it’s the result of wrong choices. But I saw mine as a test of faith, even though I was still uncertain, as my story got me into deep thought, as I behold some boys depending on what falls to the ground to survive, as a remora sticks to the shark for survival.

Then, I remembered the day a boy walked up to me and said “I like you”. You are always smiling. You don’t seem to have a problem. And then, I put up a fake smiling face, asking astonishingly, “Really?”

He said, “Yeah”.

Then, I replied again.”In this world, we all have a choice, whether to be joyous or depressed, it’s all our choice, and the outcome of the decisions we make. We must live out our best to see that the outcome of all that we put our time and effort into doing and not doing does not determine our joy because they are shaky things. What should define us is the hope and future that is true and static in Christ Jesus. Just like John 16 rightly stated that we are bound to be faced with trouble in this world as believers, but we should be of good cheer, for Christ has conquered the world”.

Whereas, that you see me smiling doesn’t mean everything is perfect, it’s just that I chose joy over being depressed by things and situations. My focus is on the bigger picture of what comes after the things I can’t have now. And that is enough to be joyful, subject to the divine promise of faith.

I just chose not to dwell on the superficial things; instead, I will put my mind on staying positive to achieve what is yet to come, and not what has passed.

The boy sighed, “Hmm.. This is a result of your deeper understanding of life”.

I answered, “Absolutely, it is life itself!

Then, I started reciting my thoughtful poem on life:

NOTION OF LIFE

Life is in phases

That we have to face

It is in series,

That we have got to see

It is in motion,

That we have got to move

It is in perception,

That we have to go question

To perceive to know,

Before we kowtow

And be convicted

To bend to the conceived belief.

My life has been evident to this reality as I have walked through a lot of impossibilities, rejections, and horrible perceptions from the world that thinks less of me. But my reality in Christ Jesus has always been putting me ahead of it all.

After that thoughtful moment, my soul was revived.I found myself again and in the picture of the good memory I had about my very own past. That moment, I knew I had gotten my hope back sparkling to life. I recalled that season I was sick and nothing worked but the name of Jesus with the song of faith, hope, and trusting genuinely in God didn’t fail me. It revived me and I was fully restored.

I cried out to God once more, and He answered me. Everything I got blamed for stood as a wall of introduction to my restoration. The voice that blamed me now celebrates my triumph. So what more will I pant for when God has been an evidence to my never-ending prosperity.I therefore say, “One with God is more than a conqueror.”Because God can never be mocked! He fails no one and he won’t start with you. If you ain’t getting what you desire now and it seems like God is silent about it. Please, don’t give up. I want you to be assured that God is working on delivering something better into your hands.