It is well

Almost a week ago on sunday the 3rd of June, my country Nigeria was plunged into mourning as a plane carrying 153 passengers ended up in an apt building while it was attempting to land at the airport in Lagos. I was in Dubai @ the time and was preparing to fly to Bangkok Thailand.  Once the news broke, first instinct was check on family and close friends who frequented the route, and those were the longest hours of my life as I received news of safety from these folks. But I couldn't help but notice how scared I had become of flying and when my foot touched land, I was the happiest person in the world.

I however, have been in a sad state of mind and have cried in the still and quietness of my solitude each day as I ask God questions of why he allowed such a catastrophe that somehow has affected every citizen and affiliate of my great country. As I pondered on this occurrence, obviously many other Nigerians pondered and wondered along same lines: life is fickle and the next minute is not assured or Not.

I was thrown into a conundrum because my Christian faith and covenant with God promises life, and I'm guessing many people aboard that aircraft or even those in their houses or those involved in the bomb blast at a church in Bauchi that same day shared that belief: so why then did it happen? 

Numerous conversations ensued but then one struck a chord,  wether we live or die is Christ: our entity is in him and that he chooses us and decides what happens to and with us. And that we can not decipher the workings of his mind and as a very dear friend puts it:" his sovereignty tops every law, every morality, every right".  And I was reminded by this same friend the scripture Is 20:12 that already reminds us that there is no searching of Gods wisdom.

My quest continued and daily he gave me a new word: but 1 corinthians 2:16a wowed me further: " for who hath known the mind of the lord that he may instruct him"? And just goes to buttress the fact and truth that Gods sovereignty and ability to make decisions that concern us as individuals, families , nations and the world trumps our feelings, emotions and need for closure. We just need to yield completely to his will knowing that somehow it works together for our good( Romans 8:23-39).

As I read and I'm wowed , I can't help but think of how difficult the absorption of this may be for those directly involved, but like ps 39:4( teach me to number my days cos my life is fleeting) and Job 8:9(our days on earth are like a shadow) puts it, we are not assured of living for ever, the onus therefore rest on us to live our lives thankful for every day, cherishing every experience, relishing moments with family, friends and loved ones and in all staying connected to our source of life(God), so when life is snuffed out of us, we can be sure of eternity with him.

To the victims I pray rest, to their families, friends and loved ones I pray succor and peace. And to everyone hurting and in despair from loosing or @ the verge of loosing a loved one, stay encouraged, it's all part of a bigger plan. We have hope that worketh patience in us that God has us all figured out, hard as it may seem to grasp right now.

It is well!!!

Seleipiri Iboroma Akobo

June 8th, 2012

Solitude

Waters so blue

Tides in waves

Caressing the banks

Like a waltz.

Beauty....

An understatement

An awesome picture

Creations story.

I am reminded yet 

My disposition patterned

My lines in tow

The puzzle taking shape

Ever grateful

Thanks a giving

In obeisance bowed

Never enough Still

Flashes

Engrams,

Memories,

Smiles...

Heart at REST

Sought answers found

bliss 

Because of Grace.

Seleipiri Iboroma Akobo

July 12th,2012

Life...

Our Minds a storage

Our exhibits, its garbage or gold

The decision, a choice to make

The effects; glaring or oh so subtle

We smile at dawn

But at dusk our weakness and pain envelop us

Accolades to our names,

But a void so dark and deep

Nothing to the rescue, we are pushed farther and farther to an abyss

Our emotions a labyrinth, a mess; we want change, but how?

We are beaten to shreds by all, even ourselves

We have lost the bedrock of our existence; our core so translucent, yet no one can see

We cry out for help: we scream and reel in anguish

But no, no one can hear, no one to help; not even ourselves

We rescind in disappointment, we hope that someone will notice

We give in to pressures, debilitating pressures that cause our decay

We hurt ourselves even further, but at the time our minds play a trick on us

This feels good

Yes! it felt so good; so we forgot

We forget the dire consequences; we lose our inhibition, our ability to say NO!

We lose our talent, our footing even our love and passion

In the face of nothing, we lose everything

And then we fight endlessly, year in year out

To undo what we started; the destruction we carved out in ignorance

And all the while it seemed like it would work until the final fight.

It is dark, it is loud, such heaviness unexplainable:

A balance sought but my flocculonodular lobe was gone

I see the light, I hear my name

I try, I really try to awaken, but it’s too late

I lost, in the battle for my life

For my sanity; for my everything

I lost. Now it’s all over and I wish I could have my life back

To change it all from the beginning:

The destruction I carved in ignorance: the oxymoron I call life.

One down, so much more to go...

Its been ages since i last wrote anything, it sucks though cos i really want to get back to that place of inspiration. Some fun stuff have been going on my life, for one i got into medical school and just got done with my first term, im so grateful. So in light of that, i moved to the UK for one year, its been over four months already, Phew! time sure flies, cos it was just yesterday when i had my friends escort me to the George Bush international airport onboard a BA flight enroute heathrow airport, London.

So yes, i am now a nerd, studying is my life, almost don't have time to do the things i love to do, whats that again? see i cant even remember what i like any more...but on a lighter note: i am on holiday from tomorrow, home to Nigeria and a coupla days in Ghana as well.....i feel very blessed that i get to enjoy all of this and to also say i am in second term of medical school

the jinx is broken, and now i have more time so i will be writting often....interesting topics coming soon. Cheerios y'all, plus countdown to Christmas....YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Till later my friends.....
Selakobs:)

The encounter at the tomb

The lamb of God he was
broken but yet precious
Soft spoken but his words brought life
In love he died so we have life

in time just as he said
with quakes and light he came
shutters torn apart like in a frenzy
Peace as promised brought

The prize he paid through shame and pain
inferior he became though superior he was
his hands tied and pierced by nails
our ransom paid through tears and praise

Our hearts Hallelujah sing
An echo of what his life was
Today a thunderous roar we raise
through the encounter at the tomb.

The Blood that saves

The cross and the grave

The bondage of death

The sting, the pain

The ponderings of heart and minds

But he is lord

Yet he whined and winced they scorned,

Oh he bled …

The scars also remain

The flesh died, his descent

Voices of mourning and sorrow

But grace came in time

The spirit; his Ascension

He is awake, his tomb empty

Death gave him up

A reason to sing aloud

He is risen, yes he is risen

The power of the New Testament revealed

By his death, access granted

To the holy of holies we now enter

Bloodlike tears the penance.

A Choice or a Command?

So I wake up with Haddaway’s lyrics on my mind: “what is love? Baby don’t hurt me; don’t hurt me, no more”


And I could not help but ruminate on 1 Corinthians 13 and all the good stuff its postulates about love. I also found myself wincing at how much pettiness have been attributed and associated with this great verb as can be seen with its commercialization on February 14th. Love speaks volumes; it tells a story of selflessness, devotion and a commitment to a higher realm of expression that surpasses death. It is a place of total surrender to a command from God, who wasn’t shy about showing the extent of his love for us when he freely gave us his only Son to die, Yes to die.

Many a folk make sentiments and emotions synonymous with love, but Love transcends a feeling, its full display and disclosure is in our actions. Our brittle egos and prideful estates tell us we can’t show love until someone else shows it first, our corrupt society attaches parameters to the measure of love, when truly it’s the lust that guides and blinds our hearts that is been benchmarked; we miss out on the most grandiose and elating experience that our hearts and minds could ever fathom, because we are myopic in our view of life and its givings. Who are we that God is mindful of us, who are we that even in our distasteful states, he still cares and reaches out to us? The flowers, chocolates and diamonds are not significant enough to showcase this idiosyncrasy.

We bask in the euphoria of a tit-for –tat attitude; we are excited at the tot of getting paid for our services: be it an act of kindness, a smile or sharing an encouraging word at work or on the subway. Our lives are cluttered with thoughts of the trinity of man (me, myself and I), when in reality our outlook should be about the next person; our neighbor. What is it that brings a smile to our face when we lay our bodies and minds to rest at the end of a busy and tiresome day? For me I think about my actions and how it affected the next person, I wonder about how much relieve I bring the distressed folk as I go about my daily routine. Love does not have to be calculated, it does not need to be wrapped in red nicely decorated boxes, it is in the words we speak, it’s the cry of our heart that reaches out to the poor in our neighborhoods, the prisoners who are locked up in tiny cells and barricaded from the life outside their surroundings, the children who don’t know what it feels to be loved and haven’t heard those words from the people they cherish most because they are either away at war or tucked away in asylums or crack houses due to the poor choices they made as a result of the environment they found themselves. Love is giving of ourselves in all totality, it is the chord that binds people of all creed and works of life, it is the sensitivity that gives to another in their distress. Love is life.

And as we celebrate our loved ones today, let that same mind which was in Christ be in us, propelling us unto good works that would bring about a change in societal ideals and the way we relate with and to other people. Share the love people, Happy Valentine’s Day.



With a Big Smile from a cheerful heart,

Seleipiri Iboroma Akobo.