Dear God,
Yesterday, someone sent to me this letter that I wrote to you 8 years ago. 8 years. He said the content touched him so much that he kept it and reads it often. So I too read it again. And today, I decided to send it to you again.
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“Cast your bread upon the waters and it will come back to you after many days”. When I 1st read those words, I was a bit confused. I do know what happens to bread when you cast it into tea. I have done that experiment many times. So imagine my confusion and thought process when I tried to figure out how I could cast bread upon water, and get it back after many days. I sincerely thought that the good book got it twisted but No!
Your “Word” is Your “Word”. It says what it says, and it means exactly what it says. The meaning of the words became clear to me few years later.
Back in UniBen as a postgraduate student, there was this period I was dead broke and stranded in the streets looking to score a lift to take me home. I stood there in the street deeply worried, I needed money so badly. I didn’t notice the reckless driver skid of the road and came towards me. I felt a hand lift me and threw me off the road. I fell flat on my face but literally unhurt.
The driver was more scared than I was. He jumped off the car, practically carried me into his car and was recklessly heading to the nearest hospital. I had to scream at him that I was fine before he relaxed and headed to my house instead.
On the way we talked a lot and soon as he realized I am an Igbo girl, he ranted endlessly about this Igbo man that changed his life. He talked about how nice and friendly the man was and how much of a giver he was. He talked about how the man insisted he went to school and took it upon himself to check his results every end of term and often helped with his school fees.
He said as children in the yard, they were always excited to see the man because he always had a goody bag for smart children. He said the man was the reason he stayed focused and got a scholarship to college abroad.
Well, good for him, I listened patiently without much interest. At least, I have scored my lift.
But guess what Lord?
That Igbo man turned out to be my late father!
Yes, once upon a time, my family lived in Benin but my younger brother and I were not part of the family members then. Dad hadn’t scored on us yet.
We were both speechless! He was besides himself. He emptied everything in his pocket that day for me. He couldn’t believe that sitting beside him was the daughter of the man that saved his life and gave him a platform to lunch himself. He almost ran us into a tree in shock. I hope he has learnt to drive by now. Unfortunately, he was traveling out of the country that day and was rushing to the airport. I hope he made it because he insisted on dropping me 1st even when he was running too close to his flight time.
If I wanted to marry an aboard dude, I could have scored one that day.
He proposed, he offered everything he could remember but I said No.
When he dropped me, I had enough USD to last me through the whole school session with ease. I was so proud of my father that day.
I think about it now and am grateful that I had a father who knew how to cast his bread upon the waters. But the question I ask myself everyday is.. “will my children benefit from the bread I cast upon the waters? Will my children see any bread from me after many years?
Previous Lord help me to do good, and stay good and sow good. That after I have gone, my children will find my bread upon the waters. This is Your daughter and I am checking in.
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Hmmmm.
Now I understand why this man would keep this letter. It had a call for action. And I did a self assessment. Have I been casting my bread upon the waters?
How many? Do I even have enough bread anymore to eat and cast?
Does it matter?
My father used to say that giving is not because you have enough, but that giving is because your heart is enough.
Hmmmm.
What is my score in giving, Lord? Do I have enough bread upon the waters? Is my heart enough?
I could do better, right? I know……
Self check – check!
This is your beloved daughter, I am turning in this letter again after 8 years and checking in.