This time shall pass away
Bible Reading: Philippians 3:12-13
Looking around me and seeing the lives of so many people filled with abandoned projects, I became disturbed that if I do not act fast, I could end up like them. So I visited Pastor Gabriel Ajibade (Head of Christ Lifeline eCounseling unit) some years ago to seek his counsel on how to maintain consistency and improvement in every good thing I do. Although he said many things, there was one story he shared with me which I will never forget …
Once upon a time, a man sat down to think about all his life experiences. He realized that sometimes terrible things happen to him and the pain he experienced made him feel as though he cannot continue with life. But after some time, the pain disappears. Other times, after achieving success in a particular area of his life, he feels so happy and wishes he can just remain in that mood forever – celebrating his success. But in a short time, that success seems outdated and he needs to make improvement. So he asked himself – what can I do that will always remind me that pain or success most times gets outdated? After thinking for some time, he inscribed this lettering on the walls of his house … “THIS TIME SHALL PASS AWAY”.
Hmm … May be if the manufacturers of typewriters knew this, they would have known that the time of computers will come and make a nonsense of their business if they don’t update their products. Perhaps the photographer I saw his advert some months ago that read “get your passport in one hour” would have updated his camera and change his advert to “get your passport in one minute”. The changes taking place in the world is so rapid that your present success may be seen as a huge failure whenthis time passes away. In 5 to 10 years from now, will the success you are celebrating today still be very significant?
It is good to give your best to your last performance and ensure it is your best at that moment, but after the successful result, remember the popular saying – ‘the greatest enemy of tomorrow’s success is today’s success’. When you have a feeling that you have arrived and you keep celebrating today’s success, you may not see the opportunities of improvement that tomorrow will present. Peter Drucker once said “no one has ever made a significant impact after they won the Nobel Prize”.
Thank God for Pastor Gabriel’s counsel. Right now, after every latest success, I use my invisible marker to write this lettering on the closest wall: “This Time Shall Pass Away”.
tope aladenusi
