“We expect a bright tomorrow. All will be well
Faith can sing through rays of sorrow All will be well
On our father’s love relying, Jesus every need supplying
Or in living or in dying. All must be well”, Mary Peters
I wish in this edition to share with you my interactions with some youths on the topic “Meaningful Tomorrow. I also see this as an opportunity as a follow up to our discussions in the last edition titled “Have a Plan”.
A man who wants to live a meaningful life will dedicate his life to continuous learning and keeps on making his tomorrow very meaningful and effective. There are elderly ones around who have seen beyond what I saw, went through life before me and can share their experiences about life because they have seen so many “tomorrows” in their lives and still keep on seeing and will keep on seeing.” They will broadly say “experience is the best teacher.” But another elderly scholar after he had gone through experience in life says “Yes experience is the best teacher, provided is not your experience.” Why? Because going through your experience without mentorship could be long and weary, but with other people’s experience life could be better.
Let me quickly add that Life is a journey it could be long or short, nevertheless it has a destination. Going on a journey however requires a road map that will help navigate where one is going easily. A man without a meaningful tomorrow is synonymous to a wanderer, a man who wanders about without destination. But there is a saying that “Not all who wander are lost”. Having a road map for the future is a key element to well-being and success; however, we choose to define it.
In the lyrics of Mary Peters which could also be found in the RH 372,
“We expect a bright tomorrow. All will be well
Faith can sing through rays of sorrow…….
On our father’s love relying, Jesus every need supplying
Or in living or in dying. All must be well”
This songs present tomorrow as bright but not without its challenges, rough roads, thorny roads, sometimes deadly roads. But “in living or in dying, all must be well”. The question therefore is- What will make all to be well?” There are some factors that create a meaningful tomorrow. These are God’s factor; People’s factors and Environmental factor.
God’s factor includes The Grace of God, glory of God, Guidance/Direction of God. For us to have a meaningful tomorrow we need to attract God’s grace and glory. Seek his guidance and be at the place he placed us. Not to be out of place. If you are out of place, you will be out of work and you will end up doing wrong work. You will be displaced.
People’s factor is basically my factor and your factor. People’s factor is Man’s Responsibility to life – Ability to respond to the God’s given talent and resource, God’s given time. For us not to take the grace and the glory in vain we need to also understand that we have responsibility.
And the environmental factors take a very limited proportion of your tomorrow only if you are in charge of our life. However, environment can affect your life positively or negatively if you do not take cognizance of how you relate to the environment; who you relate within the environment; and when you relate to the environment.
Let us examine the Requisites (essentials/basics) for a Meaningful Tomorrow
Basically, like John Maxwell affirms, our talent is not enough, there are certain things we are required to do to make our tomorrow meaningful and for us to be able to maximize our talents and abilities that God has given us. These include but not limited to the following:
One, Discover yourselves, because Discovery reveals your expectation of a meaningful tomorrow. Discover who you are and what you are created for. For man not to wander, he needs to discover himself. Ask yourself the question – Who am I? What am I created for? Where am I created for? Until you know this, you cannot have a meaningful tomorrow. Life only becomes meaningful when man knows his assignment. Purpose precedes production! For everyman there is purpose, there is specific assignment for which he is created. When Jesus discovered his specific assignment he often said “for this reason the son of man comes…”What is the reason for your existence? You need to discover… only 2 ways of discovery – Revelation or Speculation. Revelation is through the manual – manufacturer’s manual
There you will discover your identity, your specific assignment, your talents and skills, and what type of the world’s problems you have to solve which will give you a meaningful tomorrow. Not until you discover yourself, you cannot contribute to life in a definite way, because discovery leads to achievement, and your contribution to your life today determines how meaningful your tomorrow will be. .
Two, Belief, because belief lifts your expectations towards a meaningful tomorrow. The first and greatest obstacle to a successful and meaningful tomorrow is lack of belief. Lots of people do not believe in themselves and in their God. This hinders progress and brings limitations in life. John C Maxwell in one his books says “Belief helps one to see the picture and reach for it”. Lack of trust in self is a self imposed limitation; because God has put in you all resources required to have a meaningful tomorrow. Once people believe in themselves, they unleash power in themselves and resources around them that almost immediately take them to a higher level. Believe in your potentials – your potential is a picture of what you can become tomorrow. Believe in yourself that you can fulfill your potentials. Believe in what you are doing, even if the odds are against you, that is what God has sent you to do. This will empower you, encourage you, and enlarge you. Believe in Him who sends you. Believe in His promises.
Three, Plan, because planning creates a road map for a meaningful tomorrow. We cannot overemphasize the importance of planning, because having a road map for the future is a key element to well-being and success. Without the process of planning it will be difficult to prepare for a meaningful tomorrow. Planning is a basic rule of life. All of the things you want to achieve in your life require effort and preparation. You need to ensure you acquire the qualifications and experience that will allow you to progress in your chosen career and in business, and to do that, you need a plan. Having a plan gives you a framework against which to measure your progress. A plan also provides a reference against which you can judge new opportunities. A plan is a map, a guide, a target, a focus, a route, a signpost, a direction, a path, and a strategy.A plan is an indicator which says you are going somewhere, do something, be something, be somewhere by a certain time. Plan gives life structure and shape, it gives life power. We may say not all plans work out, not all maps lead to the treasure, but you will stand with be better a chance when you have a map or a plan. A plan indicates you’ve had a bit of thinking about your life and you are not just waiting for something to turn up. Note if you leave your life to chance you have no chance! Work out what it is you want to do, plan it, work out the steps to take to achieve your goal and get on with it. Richard Templar warned “if you don’t plan your plan, it will remain a dream. When you do not have a plan, you reinforce to yourself your sense of being “not in control”. But once you have a plan, everything else falls into place. Once you have a plan, the logical steps to achieve that plan also become available and accessible. A plan isn’t a dream; it is something you intend doing rather than something you want to do. And having a plan means you’ve thought through how you are going to do it.
To be continued next edition
See you at the top
