FROM BORROWED ROBES TO BORROWED LEGS

 

I was thinking this morning... Yesterday, I attended the wedding of a young woman I’ve known for over 15 years. She worked where I did, serving diligently across all levels, and she is also a devoted member of my church. She has always been known for her calm nature, consistency, and reliability. For years, I wondered why she remained unmarried. So when she finally shared the news of her wedding, I was genuinely happy for her.

Life, however, remains full of mysteries. Many good people struggle to attain simple blessings, while others who seem less deserving appear to get them with ease. Why does it happen that way?

With time, I’ve come to understand something important: some people enter marriage dressed in borrowed robes and surrounded by borrowed glamour, only to exit just as quickly. Like we used to say in Warri, they “borrow leg” and run. For many, getting married is not the challenge; staying married is.

It may be easy to attract a spouse, but do you have the character to sustain the union? There’s a pidgin saying: “Eggroll wey no get egg na puff-puff e be.” Many present themselves as “eggrolls,” but there’s no real substance inside, just appearance. In truth, they are puff-puff.

Today, we see a rising rate of marital breakdowns in Nigeria. It raises serious questions about our values and what we now consider important. While some leave marriages in the name of protecting their mental health, many unions collapse because of pride, stubbornness, and the attitude of “I no go gree.”

At the end of the day, the size of the wedding or the glamour of the celebration means very little. What truly matters is this: does the couple have substance? Is there depth, patience, humility, and love, or is it all just outward show?

Before seeking the beauty of a wedding, build the strength of a marriage. Character, not ceremony, is what sustains love. Let us focus less on appearances and more on becoming partners who are prepared, grounded, and genuine. Then and only then can we say “What God has joined together, let no one separate.” — Mark 10:9

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

RUNNING ON EMPTY

 

I was thinking this morning… Yesterday, I joined my church group for a street crusade to share the good news. We mounted the public address system on the open-back truck, and a generator was loaded to power the equipment. After the usual “testing, testing the microphone,” we set out for what was meant to be a two-hour mobile rally.

Barely twenty minutes in, the loudspeakers went silent. Power gone. On enquiry, we were told the generator had run out of petrol. What?

How does someone assigned to power a two- to three-hour outreach not check fuel levels beforehand? That single oversight turned energy into embarrassment and momentum into silence.

As I was still reflecting on it, I remembered a recent funeral I attended. Midway through the journey, the hearse carrying the coffin ran out of fuel. Everything stopped. Mourners waited in awkward disbelief while the driver hurried off to find petrol.

It almost sounded unreal. An occasion as solemn as paying last respects to a loved one, yet something as basic as fuel was overlooked by the undertaker. Agreement reached, payment made but no preparation for completion. Chai.

That’s when it struck me. This is how many people live. We start strong, full of energy and confidence, but fail to prepare for the journey ahead. We chase goals without planning sustainability, build relationships without nurturing them, and make commitments without discipline.

And along the way, we run out. Out of energy. Out of patience. Out of consistency. Life is not just about starting; it’s about finishing well. The small, unseen preparations often make the biggest difference. What looks like a minor detail can determine whether you succeed or stall halfway.

Before you begin anything, pause and ask yourself: do I have what it takes to sustain this? Because starting well is good, but finishing well is everything. Luke 14:28 says “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

THE PRAYER OF AGUR

 

I was thinking this morning.... Days ago, I was in mourning because a good friend lost the daughter. It was a devastating time for everyone that was close to them. Since I was still coming to terms with the loss of my dad, the passing of this young lady threw me again into deep introspection about life. I was still in this mood when I got an invitation to attend an Easter comedy show. I imagined how anything could make me laugh at this period and decided to turn down the invitation.

Everyone prays to be in merry mood, but it is foolishness to perpetually be in that mood. I have learnt not to pass by any opportunity to mourn with the bereaved because the lessons in the house of mourning can never be found in the house of feasting. No wonder Ecclesiastes 7:2 says "It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart."

Similarly, I have always prayed, worked and still working hard to be wealthy. I grew up the hard way and always wanted to live the soft life. My first time on going on a cruise gave me a glimpse of what it means to live the life of the rich and famous. But I have come to realise that while I have enjoyed seasons of abundance, my seasons of lack has taught me greater lessons.

I learnt recently that both poverty and riches are trials. A good man passes both tests. It was Agur's attempt to avoid both trials that made him pray in Proverbs 30:8-9 "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God."

Most people in life will experience one or both trials, but not everyone is passing the test. Some started poor, became wealthy and became unrecognisable in their insensitivity. They failed. Some faced the trial of poverty and used it as excuse to steal, prostitute or kill. They failed.

I am still contemplating if I should adopt the prayer of Agur, but for now all I can do I put my hand on my head and say "O God, I beggeth thee."

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey

SEASONS CHANGE - HOLD ON

 

I was thinking this morning… A few days ago, I decided to check on a few friends in Canada to find out how they were doing. My first call was to one in Ontario. After exchanging pleasantries, I asked what the weather was like, and I was told it was sunny, with temperatures around 17 degrees Celsius.

Minutes later, I called another in a different province and discovered they were still in the thick of winter, with temperatures at minus 13 degrees Celsius. Same country, different experiences.

A few moments after that, I reflected on how both locations entered the winter season around the same time. Yet months later, while one was already in spring and preparing for summer, the other was still enduring the harshness of winter. Life is in seasons. While almost everyone goes through different seasons, how long those seasons last varies from person to person.

However, one thing I have come to realize is this: when I eventually step into my summer, the sun shines so brightly that some people assume I have been basking in it all my life. The rush of favour becomes so evident that they have no idea how long I endured the winter.

It is not how long one stays in winter that determines how bright the sun will shine in summer. Some experience a much brighter sunshine than others. No wonder the pidgin proverb says, “Palmwine nor smell reach faeces, but naim fly dey rush pass.”

Easter reminds us that after winter comes spring and summer. After Good Friday comes Resurrection Sunday. As Psalm 30:5 says: “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

So if you are in your winter right now, don’t give up. Don’t lose your faith. Don’t judge your life by the present season. Winter is not your destination—it is only a phase. Hold on. Your spring is forming. Your summer is certain. And when your morning finally breaks, the same people who saw your struggle will stand in awe of your shine.

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Easter!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey