A few Sundays ago, I was on my way to church with my aunt and we passed by a large store with this long and wide glass slides. I caught a glimpse of myself in it and pleased with what I saw, I smiled. Was practically grinning from ear to ear. I even lingered a little more to relive the image before me. In my mind "ehhhh, omo lo fine bayiii, see how I combined the colours, bla bla bla" I was happy, and gave credit to no one but myself.

While in the cab, a few moments after, a phrase my mom used to sing to my ears while I was much younger dropped in my heart. I hadn't heard it in a long time. It came so subtly yet so strongly that it made me a bit restless. "What do you have, that you weren't given???" These were the exact words, and then my mind flashed back to what happened a moment earlier. I looked at myself again and began to analyse. 

My dress was given to me by my aunty. The wig, scarf and shoe I had on were given by another aunty, my bag and jewelry were from my mom. And though I bought the wristwatch myself, my dad paid for it. Then in my mind I quickly perused my wardrobe and realized that 99.9% of the things I owned were given to me by either my parents, aunties, friends and family. Even the few I selected and bought myself were paid for by someone, or the money given by someone. A thousand examples came to my head, and I was immediately humbled.

And with sincere gratitude to God, I muttered the words "Thank you Lord"
I knew immediately that I had to encourage someone with this. How often do we boast in our hearts about things that we possess or achieve. When in actually sense, all were given by God himself or through a means. Something, if not everything we live on each day was given. Even the very air we breathe is a gift. So what exactly do we own??? Like Apostle Paul said, if we must boast in anything, let it be the life we have in Christ Jesus and not in the abundance of our posessions.

Subsequently, while dressing up or using stuff each day, my mind in it's subconscious casts itself back on how those things we're gotten. I thank God for the people that gave, and I say a prayer for them.

What do I have that I wasn't given"? And what do you have, that you weren't given?

1Cor.4.7 - For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? [NKJV]

OLATUNJI INIOLUWA
SON SET 2017