Specificity of instruction

Let me tell you a true story about instruction. This is my true life story. A long time ago, when I was new in elementary school, I was in primary/ elementary one or two then. I was involved in a sporting competition which as at then was called “inter-house sport”. Usually different class of pupil get grouped into “houses” of sport contestants with some teachers who will be sport coordinators over each group. Grouping was done according to age, class, height, weight and some other demography. We were hardly grouped as a result of our athletic abilities because would be determined at the end of the season which usually lasts for weeks.

I was chosen to run in a one hundred meter dash for my group/house that very year. Before you start out any race, there was brief time of pep talk from your housemasters. They encourage you to run as fast as you can. There were some three or four boys competing from other house with me that year. I was the shortest and the less sporty contestant on set for that race. I watched the tall boys jumping excitedly and getting ready to run that day. As I bent at the starting point; I heard my Aunt whispering to me to run as fast as I could. She had accompanied me to this competition because my parents were not around. I cannot remember having run ever before that time in any track event.
To edit the story, I started out following every instruction of the umpire which was given to us before the race began: “You must not cross each other’s path; you must run on your own lane all the way through, you must run to the end of the race. You must not jump off the track at any point in time, until you reach the end, you must not stop. You don’t start running off until you’ve heard the umpire’s whistle blown”. I did follow all instruction that day. Although I finished last, I concentrated on the instructions such that I forgot that I was in a real competition. I kept the instructions in my mind, preoccupied with them until I finished the race. At the end of the race, I discovered that I had been so preoccupied with those instructions that I had made them an end in themselves. I was too afraid of being punished or beaten up by the instructor. As I strictly adhered to the instructions, the other athletes outran me. They crossed each others’ lane, broke every given rules and still finished ahead of me in that race that year.

We were about four or more who ran in that race. I got to the finish line thinking that I would be chosen nonetheless. I was thinking that because I had obeyed all the instructions, I may be chosen. But it was more than mere obedience, timing was of the essence and speed was paramount. I was expecting that any of the other three athletes who crossed each other’s tracks during the race would be disqualified for me because I ran according to instruction. Although I did not have adequate speed, I tried my best. But lo! It was more than mere instruction. It also mattered when you obeyed and how you obeyed. The urgency of instruction given is one aspect of instruction that we cannot wink at.

What eventually mattered to the coordinators of the track and field competition that day was more than mere obedience. It was important that we adhere strictly through timing. This is where the law and principles of timing comes inevitable. As far as the race was concerned, it was more than mere finesse. It was important that you finish early on the track if you are to be declared a winner. It was much more than being obedient to the rules. It was important that you complete obedience through urgency and accuracy. It was important that you applied some measure of force, drive, ruggedness and character in order to win. Time is of the essence. Speed was valuable and accuracy was inevitable.

As I got to the finish line late trying to move in with the rest of the winners; I was pulled backwards fro behind by my Aunt, then I saw one of the coordinators at the finish line sorting me out of the winners of the race. Then another coordinator whipped the boys who won the race for crisscrossing the tracks while running. My Aunt tried to save me from my obvious embarrassment as she pulled me to her side while we waited and watched from the sideline the trophy presentation before we went home that day. I let them down for finishing last in the race. She did not mock me but I learnt a lesson or two from that experience. I was in a race to win. My people were watching because they expected me to win. They were cheering me on from the sideline asking me to run!!! As I scuttled as fast as my leg could carry me; I came to realize that I could not carry myself as fast as the other boys. I finished last in the race behind all others panting heavily.

As I flashback on that event, I recollect how certain things mattered most. The first is the instruction, the second: preparation, the third is speed. The fourth is accuracy; the fifth is finesse which I had embraced at the expense of all others. I will never forget how timing was the basis of final judgement at the end of the race. At the finish line, instruction became only a guide to a destination but not the destination in itself. You may ask: what is the correlation of this. What are the moral of this story? In life and business, timing and instruction are very important that you cannot assume. You cannot expect everything to wait on a standstill for you. The significance of life is imbedded in how we approach all events, how we see and take opportunities. Life is altruistically a result of the chances we take as well as the ones we loose. Opportunities will not always be there for you. Don’t believe in the fallacy that once an opportunity is lost, another one will come. They don’t always come like that. When they do come, they are extras, not precisely what you lost but what you would have gained additionally if you had taken the initial chance when it came.

King H erod understood the meaning of the wise men’s visit to Bethlehem when Jesus was born. He was the reigning king and having another king in the same kingdom means his dethronement. He did not want to take chances; he wiped out all the children within that age bracket. If the enemy was that wise to understand the importance of timing, the age range of children born in that period, the statistics and information surrounding the birthplace of Jesus; what is happening to the children of the kingdom? An impending dethronement for Herod was the motive behind the homicide. He understood that we live in a competitive world. He was not deceiving himself. He was not going to share his throne. If we are awakened to the realities surrounding us, we will maximize opportunities surrounding us. We will wipe off our tears and run steadily in other to win the prize. We will no longer fight like someone who is beating the winds; we will fight with focus and accuracy.

Some lethargic and indolent people coined such saying like: “we are not competing” it was because we don’t want to be cutting one another’s throat. In the actual sense of it, life is all about competition! Too sad to say that in the grand scheme of things we are unconsciously competing. Paul said that be careful lest no man take thy crown. There is a tendency to lose your crown. Why? Because it is competitive... the race of heaven and earth is competitive. And if you will be sincere enough, you will face it head on. Look sincerely and long enough and you will see the marks and evidence of contest in your school grades, workplace, sales’ raise, promotions, achievements, awards and more; to mention few. There must be losers and winners. And the winner takes all in this modern world. The best person you will better compete with may be truly yourself but you still have to compete to break the power of mediocrity. You must conquer the enemy within you who is called average. Yes! You can get frustrated trying to compete with other people. However, in not competing against self, we don’t just fail but we fail to reach our maximum potential. There must be that desire to be better of than where we used to be yesterday. There must be passion to grow and develop. We must keep rising, advancing continually from within! Your success will be measured by your willingness to keep on persevering. Your success does not have less to do with how lightly you handle scarce opportunities. It has more to do with speed, timing and direction