Making Happiness Common

If love is the only thing we have on earth, no soul will starve to death.

When I was 11 years old, I could remember a particular night that I and my siblings were sure of going to bed hungry. I was so starved and broken that I began to cry by the roadside, one of my mother’s friends saw me sobbing profusely and asked me what the problem was.

I narrated our ordeal to her. She went to meet my mom who felt so embarrassed to admit that she was a broke and broken single mother who couldn’t provide dinner for her children.

That night, I and my siblings went to bed well-fed, all thanks to my mom’s friend – she didn’t just give us dinner, there was something about her action that night that made me know that love is all we need to heal the world.

Covid has brought other kinds of pandemic in its wake (unemployment, hunger, mental health issues) and so we need another kind of vaccine. Around the world, more than enough food is produced to feed the global population – yet over 690 million people still go to bed hungry. What could have been the problem? I am sure it’s not about food distribution but greed and corruption.

Hunger is not just the discomfort associated with a lack of food but the distress associated with a lack of love. In our world, we have two tribes of malnourished folks, those suffering from undernutrition and those suffering from overnutrition.

Hunger seems to be the gulf between the greedy and the needy. Food security on the other hand is not just about the availability of food but the affordability and accessibility of food to the global population.

A healthy, hopeful and happy life begins when a person has adequate availability and constant access to nutritious and good food. Our world will be a better place when we don’t have to worry about where the next meal will come from.

We know that a peaceful world cannot long exist, one-third rich and two-thirds hungry -Jimmy Carter

It is often said that a hungry man is an angry man – no doubt, emotional stability is connected to nutritional stability. This reminds me of the Ubuntu story from Africa.

An Anthropologist proposed a fun game to some African children. He placed a basket of sweets near a tree and made the children stand 100 meters away. Then said that whoever reaches first would get all the sweets in the basket.

After he screamed ‘ready, steady, go!’
The children’s action mesmerised him. They all held each other’s hands, ran together towards the tree, shared the sweets equally among themselves, ate the sweets and smiled.

When the Anthropologist asked them why they did so, They answered. “Ubuntu.” Which simply means, “How can one be happy when the others are sad?”
Ubuntu in their language means “I am because we are”. This is a timely and timeless message for all nations and generations, all tongues and tribes and all people in all places – Let’s spread love, hope and joy everywhere.

I ask my friend, how can one be full when others are hungry? Collective prosperity is the only way to achieve world peace. Let’s make kindness common in every way we can. Touch a life today, make someone happy. Heal the world by injecting more love and light into the souls around you.

Let’s have a “Ubuntu” life.

We are apostles of affection
from a healing bloodline
We don’t give to receive
We give to reveal the nature
and the culture of our kingdom.
A kingdom of love and light
with blessings unending.
We are custodians of kindness
and wellsprings of sweetness.
Love is not what we feel or
what we do, love is who we are,
It’s locked in our blood and bones.
We are bred from a loving lineage,
genetically wired to be generous
and configured to be courteous.
We live to give and forgive,
we spread love and speak life
to everyone and everything around us.

Do you believe that we can end hunger in the world? What can be done? Please share your thoughts in the comment section. Thank you for reading.

The Sides and Sizes of Success

Have you ever felt depressed after viewing videos and flipping different photos on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter? Have you ever wondered why every other person seems to have gone farther than you because of the things they post online? Do you see yourself as the last and the least among your peers based on your current struggles and standard of living? You are not alone, many of us are on this table.

However, the truth is, some of us have failed to realise that success is not always about growing faster and bigger, it is sometimes about growing deeper and stronger.
Most deeply-rooted plants do not bear fruits rapidly, but they grow stronger, last longer and eventually produce more fruits than shallow-rooted plants.

Don’t feel worthless because you are not producing the kind of results that others are producing. Not every form of growth is noticeable. Celebrate your small wins, your little effort may not attract loud ovation and accolades. Take solace in the fact that Gods approval is more important than men’s applause.

Don’t be jealous of the greener grass on the other side, focus on your field, water your ground with pride and engage grace for sustainable growth. Don’t get depressed by the growth and greatness of others, celebrate them and build-up faith for your greatness.

Rising first and rising fast cannot be compared to rising favourably and remaining fruitful. Don’t rush the process, don’t ignore the principles. Success happens in stages and cycles.

Keep developing and deploying your gifts, don’t be pressured by the progress of others. Comparing yourself to others based on their result is an insult to the investment of God in your life. We are all wired to win. Celebrate those who are winning.

Identify your grace, find your pace, occupy your space and run your race. You are not created to be better than anyone, God created you to be the best version of yourself.

No one is doing better than you. You are designed to be different. You are destined to make a difference. Your difference is your shade of excellence. Everyone has enough space and grace to win.

The fact that your growth is not striking
does not mean you are stagnant.
The fact that your belly is not protruding
doesn’t mean you aren’t pregnant.
Success has different expressions
and dimensions. You are pregnant with grace and greatness.

You are not lost or left behind. Focus on what God is doing within you, and not on the things happening around you.

Don’t settle too soon, keep grinding. Don’t settle too small, keep growing.

Thank you for reading. I believe that this article has blessed you, kindly share it with your friends and family. Save a soul (smiles). Do well to drop a comment too. You know I love feedback. 🥂🥂🥂❤❤

Sanity and Sanitizers

Amid global panic, pandemic and pandemonium, I have come to realize that we need more than hand sanitizers, we need sanity. Hand sanitizers can eliminate germs from our hands but what can eliminate fear and frustration from our hearts? Face mask has proven to be effective in preventing the spread of virus, but without ‘faith-mask’, a lot of folks may continue to struggle with depression, despair, fear, grief, and anxiety.

The scourge of Covid-19 has rendered world powers clueless and powerless. People all over the world still look up to the government, scientists and medical practitioners to proffer solution. However, there are certain things that requires more supernatural support and human effort.

Some of us wonder why God would allow the whole world to be groaning and grieving this much. Why would a good God permit bad things to happen? The question I ask myself is, why would a good man allow his wife to get pregnant, even though the woman will go through a season of discomfort and the terrible pain of child labour?

This pandemic has made some to lose their faith and love their fears. If you don’t have any iota of faith in a God that you cannot see, why do you fear a virus that you cannot see?

I have met quite a few people who say that prayer is pointless in situations such as this global pandemonium. Action is required, and I agree. I think that prayer has never been the solution to any problem.  However,  the lack of prayer has been the source of many problems.

Prayerlessness is not only a pathway to powerlessness, but it’s the catalyst of cluelessness.

Prayer doesn’t necessarily change the mind of God, but it puts us in a position to access the storehouse of God and also enjoy His peace even in the storm. God already has a plan and purpose for everything happening in our world. He is not trying to figure out how to help us.

He doesn’t need us to tell Him what to do, but He only wants to know if we would factor Him into our fears, failures, floods, flames, and frustrations. Our trust in God is a fragrance that invites Him into our situation. Faith promotes peace, progress, and prosperity. Fear, on the other hand, fuels frustration.

Faith Boosters and Fear Busters

Let me share with you ten faith boosters that have always helped me.

• Don’t look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel, there is light within the tunnel, and it’s in you. Find your spark, speak your light into existence.

• Don’t declare defeat when the battle is still on. No matter what you are going through, tell yourself that it is not over until God takes over. The presence of pain is not the absence of gain.

• Don’t be an instrument of torment to yourself or the people around you. Encourage yourself. The fact that you are still breathing is a sign that God has bigger and better plans for you.

• Don’t magnify your mess. Gold is not found in clean and comfortable places. We get buried sometimes because we are treasures. Life uses pains to refine and rebrand us.

• Don’t contemplate suicide. Speak out. Help is always available. Rock bottom is not a burial ground but a good place to bounce back to grace.

• Be positive in a positive way. Renew your heart with good and godly materials. Don’t just seek motivation, find revelation. What you know is more important than what you feel.

• Be sensitive: life is always speaking. Storms have a voice. Don’t be distracted by delay, denial, or discouragement. Be vigilant to new visions if you desire positive change.

• Be confident: bravery is an antidote to slavery. Cowardice has a way of making potential champions act like a chicken. Failure is not the opposite of failure but an opportunity to succeed. Face your fears and forge forward.

• Be positioned for possibility. Life will not always give you what you deserve but what you demand. Don’t wait for things to happen. Make things happen. Take bold steps, even if they do not make sense at first.

• Be prayerful: God has a pivotal role to play in our journey to survival, success, and significance. Those who deploy the drone of prayers see situations clearly and capture opportunities faster. Don’t be robbed of your peace and progress just because you refuse to include God in the equation.

I affirm that God will take you from panic to praise as you engage these faith boosters. I strongly recommend my book: Whispers of Winners, it’s a great tool that will boost your faith this season. Click here to get a copy. https://adelekeadeite.wordpress.com/whispers-of-winners/

© 2020 Adeleke Adeite

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