Is your dream keeping you awake?

I lay silently in the dark night; thinking of my pain. I looked up at the clock on the wall; the time was 4:00am. It’s another day. It’s been over six hours. I have labored, pondered and worried all night. Although I lay in one spot, my heart has been all around the world. I’ve moaned, groaned and cowed. I’ve been brooding for hours over nothing! I could not bring out anything tangible from that sleeplessness.
Have you ever had a sleepless night? Have you ever had a sleepless night?
Ever wondered what could keep one awake all night?

A king once lie awoke all night because of one man. He could not understand why until he asked for the books of remembrance. There in the book was this man's name.It was recorded that he(Mordecai) at a time in history had saved the life of the king from a coup plotted against him. He did a good work for the king but it went unrewarded. I know you know the story.It's in the account of Queen Esther in the Bible. You remember that the king had to figure out how to reward Mordecai at daybreak. He made him ride on the king’s horse which is the Limousine of that time. He was so honored that his enemy was made to be his chauffeur in his limousine ride that the king gave him.

I will remind you of another scenario where there was a sleepless night.It happened somewhere in Israel. There was a community garden called Gethsemane. There Jesus went with his disciples. They all slept except Jesus. He could not sleep even when his disciples were sleeping. He prayed all night to decide on his mission. Should he die for the world indeed? Why can't he dodge it? Should he really save mankind according to the divine plan drawn before the foundations of the world or should he decline? Should he go to the cross or take a detour now? Should he settle as a motivational speaker, as a teacher or even go back into carpentry? Or he should be the very savior he was meant to be?

I think we've all reached that point in our life when we feel pressured. Should we be ourselves or try to be what people want us to be? Should we live to fulfill the expectations of the crowd or retreat to the solitude of our life and continue living real as we've always been? Jesus thought whether or not to remain a teacher, or accept the invitation to be the king who can provide food for all his subject. He could succeed in whichever he decide on. He decided to take a corresponding action on the kingdom message he has been preaching about and here we are today. We were saved because of that single decision he took when he was in a tight spot concerning his dream.

If you have ever lain awake all night, you will appreciate sleep. You will understand what I am describing. When you think of what could make you lie awake all night. You will prefer to avoid it in the first place. I know of some few things that can bring sleep disorder to people: Death of loved one, debt, pain and plague. But then there is dream! And that is where I am going. Your dream can make you have a sleep disorder. It can make lying down to close your eyes elude you. And it should do just that! If your dream is not keeping you awake enough; its time to throw it out and get another dream.

There are people who believe that tough situations often kill people’s dream. I disagree. Dreams don’t die. Dreams often outlive us. We don’t die, if our dream is still speaking even after we have gone out of this world. Dreams, like men age. They sprout wings and fly into fulfillment. If they don’t get acted upon; they change state. They vaporize into the hearts of someone else. Such as the neighbor down the street, the bus driver, the Groceries store's salesgirl. Someone takes up a cause. And you wonder who told her about your plans? The truth is: we are all united in the grand picture. There is something called "dream seepage"...it is the transfer of ideas from heart to hearts, across the universe. As we travel through this planet, it continues to happen. If we are unwilling to make the move, someone else will. It may have died in your heart but in actual sense, it did not. Someone somewhere is working on it. It only died in you because you refused to make a move concerning it.

There are some people who live with strong will, drive, passion. These people pops up where you try to get rid of them. They often achieve their goals. Just like them. We should be. We should act strong willed. Every one of us has the capacity we need to reach that height we see. Just determine where you want to go as far as your dream is concerned. You can decide to settle for the less or lead a life of extraordinaire. See the juicy part of the dream and act on it.Once you can see it. It gives you hope during silent nights of sleeplessness. During the debt, during the pains; you will know that there’s a silver lining waiting you at the end of the dark tunnel. You will hold on until you reach there. You stay awake until you are knighted in success.

“I painfully waited…” (My true story)

I was waiting at the reception to see the dentist. I thought of maximizing that waiting time. So I flipped out my laptop. I was ready to go. Then, she called my name. Why I had to be there at all? Oh! I forgot to tell you that. I went to fix and fill a tooth. You’re wondering, what’s the connection between my dental appointment and you; and the topic. Great question! I got involved in a slight sporting accident while in high school. I was playing soccer. It happened that, I could see that ball up in the air. I got in line for it. Just then, another guy was coming for it with his leg. We competed in mid air. He thought it best to kick with leg. I felt it was best to use the head. We both went all out for it. I hit it with my head but then... he hit my jaw. I got my lip bruised, bloody and battered. The lower lip cracked in two. I went down on my knee. I wept. I groan. The pain was agonizing. Some of the players ran away leaving the victim and his hitter. I thought I was in another world. Blinded by pain, covered with stain, I heard apologies. It was too late to cry further.

I didn’t see any doctor since then. It was sixteen years ago. I had left it to heal itself. Rather, it did not. It died. It stayed with potential to harbor germs. It happened to you also. You refused to do what you were supposed to do. You forgot to do something important. It led to a chain reaction. You lost more than you can imagine. Has it ever happened to you? They gave me a deadline to operate that root canal, shortly after that visit sixteen years after. I had to do this in two days. The root canal had been stuffed up with something which only the dentists understand. The Surgeon warned. You must go back to the other dentist within one month or two. You can’t risk it this way over two months. Suddenly what I had been able to manage for sixteen years can’t be managed for two months. I had to seal it up. I had to finish the healing process. I had to finish the operation. The schedule was tight. Time was short. Life became busier. I can’t procrastinate. Delay may become too costly. Finally I made the call. I went back to the other dentist who refereed me to the root canal surgeon. I had gone back and forth within the same industry based on specialty of the dentists so as to fill and fix my teeth.

Meanwhile, if I had waited longer, a certain benefit would no longer be valid. I wouldn’t be covered in terms of the cost. The time may speed by pretty fast that, I would not have the chance to go fix it. The duration may elapse. If I had not gone, i would have been going over a sweet bone at lunch. It would have turned out too difficult to crack. It may slip through the dentition’s grip and hit this particular tooth so badly. It may get hurt. A chocolate may just stuck and breed bacteria. Germs may grow underneath. I may wake up one morning and lo. That tooth had not only gone. But it is now taking more teeth along with it. Then you my friend may be going through my photographs and find some lost teeth and feel I was smoking pot till i lost all my teeth. Then, the next time you want to snap a group photograph. You look here and there to make sure I was not in sight to disfigure your photograph.

I know that you may not have any problem with your teeth. There may be no decay in your gum. But you probably have a situation that has the tendency of getting complicated and even costing you more money than you can imagine.You either do it now or you regret. Taking bold steps has not been easy for everyone. With me, it took sixteen years for one tooth. Thankfully i did it.So, do it. Do your own impending assignment. Do it anyway. Just do it! Go where you ought to go. Get down right away. Don’t leave anything to chance. Don’t leave things undone. Any unfinished business may cost you much more.

WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU HAVE TO GROW GREY HAIR BEFORE YOU ARE HEARD?

I’ve always said it time and again. That action is one indispensable part of success. Any great man you read about took action. They had a drive to pursue their goals and they did. And the rest is history. I can’t overemphasis the essence of putting one leg in front of the other and making your way out of the house each morning towards the place where opportunities are waiting to be plucked. There is need to just put your leg in the door anyhow. Half of the job is done once you show up. It’s vital to show up even when you don’t feel like it. Even when it seems that you’re unqualified for such opportunities. It is vital to hang in there. There is a need to stay put to the threshold for things to happen. There’s need for persistence for results to be birthed. You will be surprised how things will answer for you. The reasons why great people made it were not because they were smarter. Rather, they were able to make it because they took bold steps despite their doubts. They went deliberately after their opportunities and they stayed through thick and thin to pluck it, and they were made. In this same spirit, it’s important for us to walk up to our desires, to move intentionally towards our dreams and areas of interests.

I will remind you how Nelson Mandela got the national victory for South Africa. You remember that the oppressor weren’t planning to leave? Apartheid would have become normal up to now, if he had not stood his ground in the face of imprisonments, intimidation. The hopelessness of the South African situation was enough to discourage anyone. But then, this one man; just stood his ground. He refused to shift. And the rest is history today. What about the Montgomery bus protest? I mean the well known civil right movement? How it began? You remember that the non violence protest, with series of events unfolded after one woman refused to give up her seat on bus to a white passenger? The struggles began, because someone was just fed up of it all. Then, a well positioned Pastor was also around the corner thinking of extraordinary life beyond the four walls of the church. He was thinking of influencing more lives than just clapping hands and singing religiously every Sunday. He decided to break the walls of the religion holding destinies back. And within the four walls of the church came the victory for the American black people. Martin Luther King Jnr. Led an already uncomfortable crowd out of racism. The victory was discovered. It was signed, legally stamped, and delivered. Racism was wiped out of the fabric of the American people because a woman acted, a man also did his part and there was a group and then a whole city, then a state and then a nation was affected. He was just one man. She was just one lady. They decided to act! They acted first separately at the beginning; then later as a team.