Inspiration

IT’S YOUR LIFE, YOUR SITUATION, YOUR EXPERIENCE; OWN IT

Woman standing on beach, holding shawl behind back, side view, close-up, focus on foreground --- Image by © Juice Images/Corbis

Image by © Juice Images/Corbis

Ever wonder why in Nigerian movies, the rich girlfriend or the mother of the rich girlfriend is always after the poor girl the boyfriend is falling for. Or why the boyfriend will leave the sister whose eyebrows are on fleek to run after the ordinary bread seller? Maybe it’s not just in Nigerian movies, maybe you have seen it happen in real life? Well, what I am about to outline may not be the only reason, but it sure is a part of it, read carefully and begin to enjoy your life. The secret is in owning your life.

The life you are living now is the only one you have. Am sorry to break it to you, but when you die, that’s IT!  You won’t come back in a next life as a different person or an animal. You proceed to the lake of fire or the feet of the Father. I sure hope it’s the latter for us all.

The good news is that you don’t you don’t have to be miserable in this life while a passing thru’. Yes, I know that all fingers are not equal and everyone has been dealt different hands by life, but it only matters what you do with not what you are dealt. Lemme join cliché land and say; ‘if life gives you lemons, make lemonade’, but add that you can also choose to peel it with your teeth and drink it that way. It’s your choice. Just know that while you are complaining about the taste and bite of the lemon, someone else is enjoying it. It’s all about perspective. How would you rather live your life?

A piece of advice; Own whatever situation you are in, own your experience and make your life count!! Wherever you may find yourself, whatever situation, Live it, rock it and then others will see it in a different light. They will begin to appreciate it with you, no matter how unconventional. That is the secret of how random mundane things can become extraordinary!!

You might have the most amazing things/people in your life. Be in an amazing situation, if you don’t value it, it will seem mediocre to everyone. On the flip side, you may be in the biggest mess, be doing the ‘dumbest’ things, if you learn to own it, others will want to be in that situation too. Some of these things may be of your own making, others may not be, but there is NO time like the present. The person you will be is a product of the things you do today. So start making the choice to enjoy your life. Let me give you examples (in no particular order), to drive this point home.

Story of my life :p . When I was in secondary school, it was somewhat like Covenant University where no one wanted to really know what is good for you, so long as they thought it was good for you, you must participate. I mean when we were writing mock exams, we still had to participate in inter house drama and debate! But you know what, one good thing came out of that experience. While I was complaining one of those days and refusing to enjoy it, God spoke to me. He said, if you would only participate in these activities, you would enjoy it. Stand when you are asked, sit when you are asked, smile, sing, dance and be quiet when you are asked, you will learn to enjoy it and if you don’t at least the time will pass more quickly. Well, I ended up becoming the first music exco ever in the school. By the way, before I confuse you, the particular event (I am referring to that) I didn’t like was that on Fridays, while the Muslims prayed, we had to come in to chapel to practice and learn new hymns…SMH right. Now, lemme give you the story of the life of other people and maybe one more story of my life.

You see, Jammie Grace Harper (she is a singer, if you don’t know her, ask Wikipedia or google) has Tourette’s syndrome, she didn’t let it keep her from singing or living her life, she has made the disease so desirable to some people. People want to be like her o, sickness and all.

See jenifa or falz, before people didn’t think that Yoruba accent was something that can give you money or fame, now, everyone is reaching to their inner Kemi and Kunle (I apologize if you bear any of these names).

See k-peace of Nigerian Idol, who knew that the ability to turn songs to Fuji was a swag??

This one is my favorite, when we were young, we couldn’t to wait grow older so we will be allowed to relax our hair, now everyone wants to go natural…lol. If you ask me, someone ‘owned’ their natural hair and made it look better and everyone started following. Some people even had to cut off 10-16 inches of relaxed hair (which is easier to manage by the way) to go natural (which requires lots of time and attention).

You want spiritual examples abi? Look at pastor Nick Vijicic without limbs, making waves. Samson, Job, Abraham, Daniel…. I won’t begin to write loads about their stories because if we attended Sunday school, we know their stories.

Lemme just briefly talk about Daniel because his life was quite eventful. The reason why we know about the 3 Hebrew boys, or the story of Daniel in the lion’s den is because, when he was faced with difficult situations, he made the best of them. He didn’t whimper or complain, but trusted God and made the best of an otherwise disastrous situation. Now everyone is telling his stories.

See, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, that there is nothing happening to you that has not happened to anyone before, but He (God) will not give you a burden more than you can carry, but He will provide a way of escape (paraphrased).

In Romans 8:28 that He will work all things together for the good of those that love Him and are called according to His purpose (paraphrased). He says again somewhere in Ecclesiastes that there is NOTHING new under the sun.

What you are going through, someone has or is experiencing. How are you living your life? Is it in such a way that people are able to see past your bad situation and see the light because of how good you make it seem. Or are you living in self-pity? Do you have a talent, yet hide it, or make it seem useless? People will only know that the gift is a gift or talent when you make it look good. I don’t know how else to express this but it is so important.

Lemme end with this. When I was younger, my older sister had spots from pimples on her face. She carried herself gracefully in spite of that. As a result, I prayed to God for spots so that I will be beautiful too.

Do you get it now? I preferred her spotted face to my smooth skin, because she owned it and made it seem preferable!

Let me try one more time…Kirk Franklin doesn’t have the best voice to adlib with, in fact, he can’t sing, but he can write and talk to the timing of the beat. Who knew that talking in a song was a gift? See how many awards he has won; how many albums he has released. What are you waiting for? Get up and be!

NB: if there is something you can do to change your situation, by all means, do something about it. However, while you are changing, enjoy where you are.

OWN YOUR LIFE TODAY!

Read also;

Friends Since
Be You

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

About author

Articles

Tolulope Oludapo is a young Christian who lends his voice through the media by sharing practical wisdom for everyday living in the most experiential and simplified fashion. This has fetched him the direct followership of over 30,000 users on his blog, lifegiva.com. A blog he founded. He loves to write on varying subjects that affect life, faith, relationship...everyday living.
Related posts
InspirationLife

Contentment or Small-mindedness? How to Find the Balance Between Being Satisfied and Being Ambitious

I am a simple, easy-going, introverted person. I don’t like drama, noise, or attention. I love…
Read more
FaithInspirationLife

Making the New Year New Indeed

It’s a few days to the end of 2021, and I’m sure many people are excited and expectant…
Read more
FaithInspirationLife

A LifeGiva Christmas: What Christmas Means To Us

It’s the 25th of December! The time of the year to celebrate the birth of the saviour Jesus…
Read more
Newsletter
Become a Lifegiva

Get the laest articles, merch deals, personal Q&As, behind the scenes, unmissable news about Lifegiva and more!

Sign up for our Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & freebies. Let's stay updated!

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *