Year 2019 will roll away into eternal history within the next 48 hours. How do you want to end it? Would it not be exciting and invigorating to end it well, on a high note of love? We all have experienced the benevolence of God from January to December, sleeping and waking up to brand new days. The fact that the Almighty God spared our lives from January to August should compel repentance. Despite our shortcomings and sins, the Lord God saw us through September, October and finally brought us to December, in safety and good health. We, therefore, have uncountable reasons to shout Alleluia. Now, we are on the threshold of stepping into 2020; that alone is abundant reason for thanksgiving to God.
Today, we see people make a public exhibition of showing love by sending seasonal Christmas gifts to orphanages, hospitals and other less privileged people with so much fanfare and media frenzy, especially in this day and age when news of such gifts flood the social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, among others.
Interestingly, giving love can signify an act of reconciliation, forgiveness, restoration of peace and harmony. Look at it this way: would you rather cross over into 2020 with acrimony, bitterness, negativity, rancour, resentment, hostility and malice? The side of the coin is for individuals to recognise and accept their mistakes and then go ahead to surprise the person that was wronged by genuinely confessing and apologizing to the offended individual. That way, strained relationships are rebuilt.
Really, wrapping up 2019 with love is necessary because it would afford all a level ground to usher in ‘2020’ like a newborn baby free from sin. Most couples whose relationships are held by a string (mostly children), should take particular interest in this. Cast your minds back to the moment when providence brought you together. Shut out all distractions and agree within yourselves to resolve whatever caused the strained relationship. Don’t take easy route of blaming the devil; stop brandishing character that puts off your partner. With reconciliation achieved, get into the thick of rediscovering and deepening intimacy. It lubricates the revived and renewed relationship.
For families that have been led astray by fake pastors, reconciliation is a choice. Seek the face of God with love because God is not the author of confusion. Ask questions as to where you got it wrong, so that the lines can fall for you in pleasant places once again. With open minds and hearts, do introspection. Reconciliation of families and friends can come from either side, whether senior or junior, because nobody is above mistake in life. Let people forgive each other selflessly without resentment.
I read on the social media about a lady in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, who experienced miraculous healing through forgiveness. Her words: “I had this ailment that was taking my life gradually. I was taking heavy dose antibiotics that cost N8500 per week, as a civil servant. The ailment was eating deep into my life and finances. It seemed that all my prayers and that of my prayer group were not being heard until a Reverend Father asked me to take the step of forgiveness and repentance. The moment I resolved within my spirit to make peace with my childhood friend, who cheated me out in a marriage proposal that came to me, I began to experience joy and peace. What did I do? I travelled to her station in Enugu where she lived with my would-have-been husband. I located their home and knocked on their door. The door was opened by a stranger and I walked in. The little boy alerted her aunty that a visitor had come. Jane ran out in excitement and saw me. She screamed and ran back into a room and slammed the door because she thought I had come to hurt her. I smiled and called her, ‘Jay-Jay,’ the pet name I gave her when the going was good, and then said, ‘I did not come to harm you, rather I want to make peace with you and your family because I have forgiven you through the grace of God. Don’t run away from me, I remain the same old childhood friend.’ Tear drops fell from her eyes. The man who dumped me, Hyacinth, came out and saw me. It was more tears, reconciliation and apologies. At the end we gave glory to God. Within days of returning to Port Harcourt, I realised that my pains had reduced greatly and in all honesty disappeared completely.”
You businessmen and women, who try to destroy each other to be the richest and on top of every business, you can wrap-up 2019 with love. Teach and tell yourselves how to do things in a different and better way. Let the new way of life serve as a precedent for others to follow. When the change gathers momentum, it will also affect other aspects of life in a more appropriate way. Stop shedding blood and deals that tarnish your images. Artisans, wrap the year with love. When you are called to solve problems such fixing a broken door, electric lampholders, blocked lavatory, broken cupboards and others, live up to expectation, show strength in character. Do not collect money, switch off your phones and run away. Begin to do the correct things for the world to be a better place. Caterers, this period is your season because of the many celebrations that come as this of the year. Give value for the money paid to you. Stop cheating your clients, do the right things; that is the love we are talking about.
Doctors in public hospitals, who refer patients to their private clinics, to make more money, you can wrap-up the year with love by treating patients in the hospital where they attend. You can give the same expertise to the patient in the same place. Instead of referring them to your private clinic, refer to a general or teaching hospital where there are more equipment and expertise for better assessment. When private practice (P-P) becomes more important than the platform that gave the opportunity of the PP, dear doctor, you are not showing love! It would be okay to allow situations that may cause relations of mistreated patients to sue careless doctors and hospitals, to arise in the New Year. Resolve today to show love through professional care.
People who have made themselves agents of darkness through gossiping, backbiting, talking down on others, you can decide to do away with such devilish character and manifest kindness, progressive behaviour, openness and love, to end the year.
Wives who maltreat their housemaids like the case in Enugu State, you can decide to be a better human being. Maltreatment of people, even relatives, children, husbands and wives who are victims of maltreatment can be treated better with kind, polite words, reassurance of love and recognition. It will not cost anyone anything to begin to do things in a better way.
Finally, our leaders in government, the bulk of the work rests on your shoulders. Know it from this piece that there is hunger, insecurity and loss of hope in the common man in the land. Favourable policies can come in to change things that are threatening the peace of Nigerians. The First Lady of the federation as well as the first ladies in various states, I want ask you, do whisper to your husbands that women and children are starving to death? Do you tell them that maternal mortality rate has increased? Or are you busy giving out Christmas gifts now until December next year when you will come again with such laughable gifts. Tell your husbands that the land is no longer green as it used to be. If a former president could be attacked in his country home during the festive period, who then is safe in the country?
Since God has spared us this year, we should all endeavour to wrap-up 2019 with love, as an act of worship.