You Can’t Tap Into All Graces

Speaking on President Buhari’s decision to run for Second Term on DRTV, earlier this month.

Lessons.

There is hardly a sudden flight to EXCELLENCE and greatness. You must first prepare yourself before God will prepare a platform for you. You must manufacture yourself before you market yourself. The presenter wondered how a medical doctor could speak on various subjects that range from Glasnost to Boko Haram.

For the Lord to prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies, you must have a good appetite to eat the food and prove that you can eat in the presence of the enemy.

I had a voracious appetite for knowledge right from childhood. I read anything and everything I could set my eyes on. As at 1968, at the age of 9 years, I was already following the news on radio and was able to read newspapers. I paid attention to the history unfolding before me. I remember telling my mother that what was happening, then, would one day become known as “in those days”.

In secondary school, I read History, Geography, Metalwork, Woodwork, Economics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Literature. I dropped history, woodwork, and metal work. But I had A’s in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography and Economics. I was buying old Time and Newsweek magazines to read even as a medical doctor.

I knew my library was more important than my wardrobe.  In fact, everything I wore to that studio was not worth more than 15,000 Naira. But at the end, they were taking pictures with me. I debated for my hall in medical school and we won the inter-hall debate trophy. I scavenge for knowledge and information on a daily basis.

There are some graces you don’t tap into; you work into them.

I have learnt how to speak over the years from debates, clinical presentations, Sunday School teachings, fellowship leaderships, etc. I thank God for His grace, but I don’t take things for granted. Once I knew I was going to retire from medical practice at 40, I decided to build myself as public speaker early. Today I get several invitations to speak.

Recently I was paid 150,000 Naira by a company to speak for 30 minutes. My hotel accommodation was about 89,900 Naira, a night, and another 40,000 Naira for my CDs of the message. I left a hall with about 500,000 Naira after speaking for 45 minutes. However, it was not so in the beginning. I also delivered a 30-minute talk for 200,000 Naira.

When Cristiano Ronaldo, of Real Madrid, scored a very stylish goal recently in the UEFA Champions League Competition, very few people knew that he goes through a lot of practice and that he went to a football Academy and has been playing football since the age of 10 years. In a review of the game, some soccer pundits attested to the fact that he even scored a goal of the same style the previous training they had before the game.

Very few people know that Micheal Phelps swims 8 hours everyday, and that Roy McRoy  has been playing golf since age 6. Few people realize that Serena Williams, who was No. 1 in the world for a long spell, started playing tennis at 3 years, while her sister, Venus, started at 7 years or less.

You don’t tap into all graces; you must work into some.

Keep up the good work, work on yourself and work on your work and you will walk into the right grace and the platform that befits you.

I feel a big deal just around the corner; I will soon touch it and you shall celebrate with me in Jesus’ Name. Amen

God Bless You.