Throughout life, I’ve read many times in the Good Book the story of a man called Isaac who, like many people you and I know, was just starting in life but had a tough time surviving. At a particular city location, Isaac dug wells to access life’s milk and honey. Each time Isaac dug, enemies would show up from the covens of hell to confiscate the rewards of his labour. This tragedy of life happened to him a few times until something snapped up in the spiritual realm as he kept digging, found water, and put his feuding foes to shame.
What I opine in this week’s opinion represents life’s many true stories you and I may have stumbled on. We struggle to keep our heads above water, working hard with the hopes of finding comfort and peace of mind and reaping the good seed of labour we have sown. But, out of the blue and catching us off guard, something mysterious pops our balloons of hope until they deflate. And we respond by either ramping up efforts to dig ourselves out of the trenches of misery and pain or surrendering to what we call ‘fate’ and the fatality it brings.
Thomas Alva Edison was the American mogul credited with inventions such as the first practical incandescent light bulb and the phonograph. The savvy businessman once ran into life’s turbulence with one of his businesses. This tragic story and the way Edison handled it is a lesson for anyone reading this and contemplating surrendering to life’s siege. December 10, 1914: Edison walked to his plant in West Orange, New Jersey, as ten buildings on site had been engulfed in flames. The chemical-fuelled inferno was too huge to be quickly put out by the swift-responding men of the local Fire Department. Edison and his 24-year-old son Charles watched as the huge plant promptly became a rubble of waste and piles of ashes. Edison said to his son, “Go get your mother and all her friends. They’ll never see a fire like this again… We’ve just gotten rid of a lot of rubbish.”. Edison later told a local newspaper: “Although I am over 67 years old, I’ll start all over again tomorrow.”
Edison could have cried himself into a state of depression, but he smiled through the chaos and tragedy and prepared to start all over again. The next morning, he immediately began rebuilding without firing any of his employees. After the damage assessment, Edison had lost $919,788 (about $50 million in today’s dollars). The flames had consumed years of priceless records and prototypes, and his plant’s insurance covered only about a third of the total damage. In about three weeks, part of the plant kicked off working again, thanks to a sizable loan he got from his friend, Henry Ford. Edison and his team went on to make almost $10 million in revenue the following year. He mastered his emotions and kept digging until he found water.
I also read the story of a man who owned a property in the prestigious Lagos community. This man was one of the big boys of Nigeria in that season of life. Unfortunately, he ran into a severe financial crisis and could no longer meet his financial obligations. The estate association where he erected his massive mansion took steps that humiliated him when the waste disposal company was instructed to stop collecting his trash. The estate association cut off his electricity supply (using a generator was prohibited), and the security team was ordered not to attend to his care. Amidst this tough situation, a reliable friend advised him to sell the property and relocate to a less expensive axis of town to start afresh. He took the advice, sold the property for over $500 million, and purchased a similar duplex in the recommended area for about $ 120 million. With a surplus of approximately N300 million from the sale, he resuscitated his business and revamped his finances. A few years later, he returned to the old, expensive area and acquired another property. He dug himself out of the trenches of misery and pain, refusing to surrender to fate and its fatality.
Setbacks are part of the merchandise we are forced to purchase in the marketplace of life. But we must learn to be quick at pressing the reset button. Difficult times are lesson periods when you learn tough times that you may not ordinarily learn in seasons when all is well! My friends, don’t allow it to be too hard on you when hard times come. Dig yourself out of it until you find water of comfort. Do not fear starting afresh. In any new journey that has God in it, life is always refreshing. Your life may seem to be in rubble today. Everything may seem to be at a standstill. Yes, you have lost much strength and sanity. You have lost a lot of money and resources. You may have lost respect in the eyes of many around you, and many may have deserted you. In the process of playing in the big stage of life, you may have gotten injured. Go ahead and nurse the injury to a healing point. You will not even remember it anymore at some point. Don’t lose hope. You will bounce back, and you must. Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot regain lost ground and opportunities. You can. You will. And you must.
Be intentional about digging yourself out of trenches of misery and pain so you can find sweet water. That was what the man Isaac did when he refused to surrender to the fatality that fate brought. If the thought of giving up strikes as a way of escape, think about the fact that many people are waiting for you to give up. They are hanging around and waiting to hear the news that your life is messed up and enmeshed in failure. Remember these naysayers when the thought of backing down and retreating becomes an option. The road to success is always rough. But keep digging; you will soon find water.
