So many would definitely agree with me that in life, destiny helpers are not necessarily family members, but those angels that God sends sparingly to wipe tears. In some families, it is not the wish that all should get to the Promised Land; there must be some jealousy, bitterness, and expressions of the pull him/her down syndrome, and as such, great opportunities are exclusively reserved for some while others could get lost in the thin air.
In fact, it is not for nothing that some preachers now call some family members household enemies or family strong men and women who are not interested in progress for all. But when a destiny helper shows up, doors would open, peace and love reign supreme. And who is this destiny helper? It could just be anybody: a cleaner, judge, neighbour, friend, school mate, teacher, security man or colleague, just about anybody, including family members as well.
Now, my little understanding and experience of a destiny helper is that one person that favours another genuinely and sincerely. At all times, destiny helpers are God-sent men and women who become benefactors, especially during hard times. When a destiny helper appears as God designed it, it comes as a total package and wipes away jealousy and bitterness; blunders would no longer count while offensive and harsh words disappear from the scene completely.
In families and communities, there have been cases where people were wrongly accused and the unpalatable news circulated. Such people were labelled, talked down, abused physically, emotionally and sexually. There have also been cases of maltreatment both in high and low places. A domestic servant can maltreat her boss or either way. Little wonder the name household enemies is applicable to both old and young.
It is worthy to note that destiny helpers do not recount litany of all they did for someone to reach his or her Promised Land; mostly because it would always be God’s arrangement that is superbly premium. The moment the Creator of heaven and earth signs and seals the agreement of a helper and a receiver, everything falls into pleasant place. Faults would never be found, errors would never rear their ugly heads, the blame game would be forgotten and all actors would forever hug and smile till eternity.
It might interest you to know that I, Agatha, I am still searching for Mr. Philip, the security man at the JAMB office back then till tomorrow. He was my destiny helper in 1998. What happened? I went to the popular Hawksworth Street, which was the JAMB office headquarters in Ikoyi Lagos to buy JAMB forms for my cousins Ben, Eddy and myself. I was not very sure of the postal address to receive my Jamb responses because of the challenge at that time. But I needed to write JAMB examination. I got into the office, paid and three fat brown envelopes were handed over to me. I took mine and filled it out immediately without address, which meant that the form was incomplete. What next, I walked towards the gate and waited for Mr. Philip who held the gate as a car drove in and he closed the gate. I walked to him and boldly asked for his name, he said, Mr. Philip. I told him, I would use your name and office as my postal address to process my JAMB form and also pleaded with him to safeguard my acknowledgement card when it arrived in his mail box. I quickly added his name and address where necessary. Three weeks later, I arrived at the gate of JAMB office and asked after Mr. Philip, who kindly handed over all my documents, my acknowledgment card and my examination centre and that was the last I saw him. When the successful result was released, till tomorrow, my admission letter was addressed thus Agatha Ekeh, C/O Mr. Phillip, JAMB Office, Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Now, it is so painful that I cannot trace Mr. Philip to say at least thank you. Worst is the fact that I do not know his surname, neither do I know his tribe. I cannot even place his face assuming he should walk towards me today. Nothing about him do I know. I wish I can reach him; but I cannot, God will send him his own destiny helper. I have also encountered a lot of destiny helpers, but the story will be for another day.
In the same vein, Cynthia Ebia is a close pal of mine who told how she suffered false accusations and WAS labelled as a husband snatcher in the hands of her own family members, before God sent her a destiny helper from Ekiti State. She arrived the Lagos home of her senior cousin, Mrs. Johnson, who was a university graduate and got registered to sit for the General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination by the same cousin. They lived happily, but at a stage, her cousin who was insecure in her marriage began to feel frazzled because of her husband’s randy nature. Innocent Cynthia became a suspect and victim of the man’s reckless moves. Within a short time, Cynthia and her cousin gradually began to fall apart. She told of how her cousin’s baby was crying in her dad’s arm, she stretched out to carry and pacify the child and hell was let loose. The next morning, she saw herself at the motor park en-route the village to start life all over again. While looking for opportunities and greener pastures, she looked towards her aunty whose brother-in-law and wife were a bit financially okay. She got the warning of her life that if she ever dared go near the inlaw and the wife. That door was permanently shut. Die-hard Cynthia returned to Lagos in another aunt’s house while still looking for the golden fleece and got same shabby treatment again. She said: “Any relation, I went close to, saw me as a husband snatcher, though I was innocent. I am not God who created me with special features. I went through pain and acrimonious experiences in the hands of my family members while searching for life opportunities.”
As life continued to throw her up and down, some days, she would be asking God where she would lay her head for the night and but God never failed. A day came, God sent Cynthia a destiny helper, a couple from Ekiti State. The man, Adebola, an engineer, from Ekiti State and his wife, who is from Abonema in Rivers State. Cynthia informed that as she met Mrs. Adebola through another friend and they all became close pals. She was going to look for another aunt-in-law and made a stop at the Adebolas who welcomed her and became her all round destiny helper for five worthy years.
“The moment the garment of husband snatcher was torn from me, peace and laughter came to me. Lines began to fall in peasant places. I got admission into the university while living with the Adebolas. Next, my siblings and I pulled resources and rented an apartment, graduation followed, national youth service, mouth-watering job, marriage, childbirth and car; all came into my life in quick succession. I never spoke with my family members who labeled me out of their little minds until I graduated from the university. If a total stranger from another part of the country could be my destiny helper, what then is the essence of family? Since then, the Adebolas became my blood family and I have no apologies. I have forgiven my own family but will never forget the treatment meted out to me at a tender age,” Cynthia said.
Still in that disposition, let us recall to mind when Jumoke (the Agege bread seller) set out to do her business. Little did she know that her destiny helper, TY Bello, a famous photographer would lead her to the Promised Land. She went about her normal business to sell the popular Agege bread, when she was inadvertently captured by the lens of TY Bello, and that was how her world changed. Today Jumoke is a celebrity who has been driven to heights through a destiny helper.
Eni Ibukun Adebayo, chief executive of Clean-Ace Drycleaning told me in an interview how God sent his neighbour as his destiny helper: “We were friendly neighbours; Obinna is Igbo and I am Yoruba but he saw my passion towards my drycleaning business. He saw how I treated fabrics with care, washed them in the bathtub, spread and iron perfectly. I was looking for little money to start up. He called me and shocked me with start-up capital. Today, I have over 10 functioning drycleaning centres within and outside Lagos.”
In life, challenges differ and abound. That is the more reason Shakespeare said: “It is wise for one to listen before speaking, feel the pains before hurting others, love before you hate, try hard before you finally quit.” If Cynthia had quit, who knows where she would have been today?
