FunmiObi

“When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions. Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face. The ‘worst’ is never the worst.” (Lam. 3:28-30) Nothing seemed to make sense anymore… Behind on my plans and losing peace and balance was becoming a reality for me though I knew I needed help fast! I knew that I was going to break down anytime soon, as I had a lot on my plate at the moment, but not in public and, at least, not in church service on the same day I thought about it. I knew I needed a retreat to refill, review and re-strategize.  I was running almost empty… Good news: I had the retreat and all went well. I’m much better now, all fired up! After this phase, I got to find out that a lot of people are going through similar situations and are losing strength. Some people feel as though they’re going to break down or die anytime soon, some others feel inadequate while,

“Pay close attention, friend, to what your father tells you; never forget what you learned at your mother’s feet. Wear their counsel like flowers in your hair, like rings on your fingers.” (Proverbs 1:8-9) This verse of Scripture kept coming to my head after reading it anytime I got into a conversation with my dad or mum during the holidays. It became a thing of reflection for me. Growing up over the years, my parents always told us their stories and pieces of advice either from the mistakes they made, their share of experiences in life or the lessons they learned from their own parents. They always talk about their Civil War experiences and the Igbo culture; foods that have phased out, the games they played and Igbo proverbs… Don’t get it twisted though. It wasn’t all roses and daisies. Some days were really annoying especially when my mum decided to be on my matter. But now I appreciate all the moments as I look back because it helped mould me into a strong