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Passing out from the Higher Elementary Training College, Methodist College, Uzuakoli, our final examination was in December, 1965. On that day, I read all through the night and was still on my desk reading, when other students came in for the examination. I was weak and my head was heavy, and in consequence, I misinterpreted the instructions of the Geography paper. Instead of answering five questions, I answered only four. I was sad, imagining the implication of my failure. Our Principal, a British man, met me in that condition and wondered what was wrong with me. I told him how I messed up. “If you fail, who then will pass?” He asked me, smiling cheerily.
His cheering comfort met a brick wall as it annoyed me. His optimism was based on the fact that I was coming first, not only in my class, but in the three classes of the final year students. My pain was based on the fact that no other person knew that, except our tutors and my classmates. Nobody in my village knew it, but the one I messed up was an external examination and it was the tag I would be wearing! I remembered, in particular, a certain woman, who saw me that year at Enugu, when our Drama Group went to dramatize the ‘Twelfth Night’ at the British Council hall. She saw me again, when our Football First Eleven members were sent by the college to watch ‘Sheffield Wednesday’, a renowned British Soccer team. “Osondu, I hope you are doing the studies,” she ridiculed. My failure would consolidate her derision, as she did not know that I was the best student. I was worried, and disturbed, and I had every reason for that, being an unbeliever. Well, at the end of the day, I still had the best result in the three classes, without Alpha in that paper.
Anxiety is being worried because of something, such as bad news about us or about a close family member or friend. Other things may be health hazards, unfavourable medical tests, unemployment, a threat that the company, where you work, will be closed down, illiquidity of cash, recession in business, death of a family member or a dear friend, examination failure, wife in labour, et cetera.
Imagine a situation, where someone loses his job, especially, when he has a large family to sustain. While his wife may appreciate the predicament and may cut down household costs, as well as not making much demands, their children may not. They will continue to be demanding food when they are hungry, not aware of the fate of their breadwinner. The agony of seeing his children hungry vmay lead to anxiety or may increase it. In such situations, some wives have aggravated their husbands’ pains by divorcing them, when their presence and support are very much needed.
In some cases, when Uncle has no visible means of livelihood, the thrill of marriage may drive him and Aunty to convince their church leadership to join them in marriage. After the wedding, weeks of expectation may turn to months, and months may turn to years, yet, there may be no honey in the beehive! The result is anxiety, not only for Uncle but also for Aunty. Some couples start very well and suddenly, their business fails, giving cause to anxiety.
To His children, in whatever condition we find ourselves, God’s word tells us not to be anxious for anything. It is all about the personality of the person who says so. Unlike our Living God, my principal, who relied on my academic record, before telling me not to be worried, was not even in the position to render any help to me. In fact, before the result came out, he had retired from teaching and went back to his country, England. Unlike him, Mr. Clutterberg, God is available always, for us, His children. He is also ready to change our situations, and then meet us at the point of our need. This is why He tells us not to be anxious for anything.
The solution of anything that steals our peace is not anxiety. Anxiety, once again, does not solve any problem. It rather complicates issues. At this moment too, human effort will fail us. What is required is the God factor. Many people deride believers when we talk about Divine factor in tensed situations, but it does not bother us. Normalcy is restored always through prayer, which can be by: thanksgiving to God, supplication or intercession. The Bible is clear on the matter. “Let your request be known,” Phl 4:6.
In 2000, those of us from Nigeria, who attended Billy Graham’s Evangelistic Programme in Amsterdam, Holland, received a bad news when our airplane was to land in Lagos. Our pilot informed us that he would not land the aircraft because of poor visibility. He had to take us to Ghana. We could recall easily, a similar thing that happened the previous year, and the aircraft crashed. Imagine us, who were home already, rehearsing how we would hug our wives and family members, being at the point of death! Most of us in the airplane started praying, including those that rejected the evangelism tract we distributed when we boarded the airplane in Amsterdam. Anxiety was everywhere. Thank God that our airplane returned to Lagos and landed safely.
“Shall we pray,” I said, and almost everybody bowed as I prayed, including those who had branded us religious fanatics!
A life of anxiety, when God says that we should not, is absolute disobedience to Him. Daddy Jairus was taking the Lord Jesus to his house to heal his sick daughter. A lady that had an issue of blood caused ‘Go slow’ on receiving her healing. As the people were celebrating it, Satan fouled the air, and bad news was brought that the girl had died! Anxiety was high, since she was the man’s only child. The Lord Jesus turned Satan’s table upside down, telling Jairus not to be worried, since He was around! Who would he obey, the Lord Jesus or anxiety? Thank God that he listened to Jesus. Thank God that He brought the girl back to life. Anxiety is not for us. It may cause insomnia. That was the problem of my Oga in those days, when I was in the primary school. He would be awake most of the night when we would all be sleeping. Such people may be swallowing some sleeping tablets before they will sleep and this is to their own detriment. In spite of this, they may sleep for only a few hours.
God tells us not to be anxious for anything because He is in charge, supplying all our needs. He has the capacity as well as the capability to do so. My principal, as good as he was, he did not and no man does.
For further comment, Please contact: Osondu Anyalechi: 0909 041 9057; [email protected]
