First year of college; a whole lot of new experiences. On this particular day, the hot news was that first semester results had just been published. My first ever college results! I wasn't sure whether to be excited or to be afraid so i naturally settled for a mix of both feelings. Either way i told myself this is it- i'm going to taste and see for myself all about college life, academic results included.
By that time i had a little bunch of friends who were also first year students. We couldn't wait till it was lunch break so we could go check out our results. We gathered together our anxious selves and headed for the faculty where the results were displayed. Forget that then the institution was not yet so techno-savvy as to have each student view their results online -they just had to print out the results and stick them onto a large board. Everybody could view everybody else's results - only there was a student number instead of a name - thank God for that!!
Apparently this whole results issue was a big thing for every being on campus. There was literally a stampede to thee board and on that occasion i witnessed so many different reactions all in one place. Some screamed, others jumped, some were indifferent and there was a rare case of fainting. At that time, i didn't quite fully comprehend the depth of what was going on; neither did i have any idea as to the category of reactions i would fall into after beholding the magical board.
Finally i reached to within reading distance, located my student number and there were my results staring me right in the face. Too many of the symbols were the very same and only one or two were different. Apparently i knew what two meant. Problem was with these other ones which nobody had ever mentioned to me and it was the first time i was encountering such symbols in my entire academic life anyway. All i knew was that it was either good or very bad- really really bad. I was in my own category of reactions - the "what meaneth this" category - or more simply put, confusion.
In no time i spotted my friends and they were all excited and celebrating in every manner near-insane. There was no need to ask really - clearly they had all passed. So later later later on when they were calmer (meanwhile i was still in confusion mode all along) we then got down to the details of those symbols. To my utter dismay, they had had a chain of the symbols which i had had only one or two of (and judging from the celebrations any other symbol was a fail). Suddenly i was in my own space and i assure you in that space it rained-heavily. Outwardly, my face drooped and beknown to me only, energy simultaneously disappeared from my legs. It's a miracle i remained standing- pretending to the world that everything was just fine!
When my friends noticed the change in my countenance, they shifted all their energy and attention to me -inadvertently adding thunder and wind to the rain that was already pouring in my little space. Soon as i told them my other 'strange' symbols, they unanimously interpreted that it was a dismal fail with a remote probability of a summon to the Dean of Students' Office. Nonetheless, they spared no effort consoling me with all sorts of kind words in the book. Ironically, they (who had passed by the way) reiterated that failing was a new normal that came with college life and it was nothing to worry about. Really?!
So i went through the rest of the day's lectures in a 'ghost mode'. I was there but i was not there.Come day end i tactfully dodged the people i used to walk with to the place where i stayed so that i could have some more alone time and really take this results thing in. That done successfully, the entire distance i engaged myself in some serious interrogation: what is wrong with me? how could i travel all 800 kilometers from my home town to college only to fail? how dare i waste my parents' hard earned money just like that? and how was i going to break the news to them that i had performed that dismally anyway?
Enveloped in that quiz cloud, i got to the house that i lived in with my elder sister. She was also at the same college but at that time she was doing her internship with a local company. Unlike on other days where i found something to snack on as a welcome home note, i went straight for the bed. It was a not-so good day, wouldn't it end already? A few minutes into my wallowing party, my sister opened the door with such an unusual sense of urgency in the act. Without wasting much time she says i hear the results.....stop already will you!! I didn't quite get the rest of the sentence, well i didn't care to. Pause. I quickly collected myself and replied with a dry 'yah'. Hopefully she would read that such a response meant end of discussion. But no, not with this one. She wasn't cut out from that kind - she wanted to know - whether or not i was ready to tell was out of the equation. Reluctantly, i threw at her the paper on which i had scribbled my symbols. Those fateful symbols! Would it that i had inscribed 'don't comment' at the top of that paper but alas, too late now.
So big sis has seen the paper and i know she ain't gonna sugar coat nothing! The look on her face in that moment though - she's surprised. It looked like a good surprised but because of earlier encounters i was confused, again, for the zillionth time in the same day. The next crazy thing happened, i was being congratulated on such an excellent result. Pause. More confusion. She went on to explain those other symbols and how they were not so common a result. So really, i had done well but had beaten myself about it only because of WRONG INTERPRETATION? Now how stupid does that seem- yet it is quite the phenomenon experienced in life, only at different levels altogether.
It got me thinking that oftentimes in life people are afflicted not necessarily by the report per se but by its INTERPRETATION. So many are the reports in life. For instance, where the doctor's report confirmed cancer and pronounced a death sentence, one can have 'freshman friends' affirming that the internet says to live only 60 days with this kind of condition. Some may even offer to help you put your house in order in the little time left. But i'm glad Big Sis has a better interpretation of that report. She says it means now is your time to claim your rights of healing for by His stripes you were long healed; you shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord!!
Sometimes the report is that a mountain has been planted in your way and now you can't possibly proceed to your wealthy place. There will be those freshman friends again telling you that a friend of their friend's friend once encountered the same mountain and perished while attempting to go over it. Big Sis comes in with some Good News: simply speak forth in faith and command the darn thing out of your way and it will obey you!
So the world has endorsed the report about you that you are barren - whether financially, spiritually or even physically; soon as you see the notorious 'friends' RUN and stop your ears from hearing their interpretation. Thank God for Big Sis who brings in Word according to Isiah 54 which instructs the barren woman to celebrate her overflow that is on it's way and to make ready the capacity for such an unbelievable manifestation and expansion.
So the enemy has surrounded and outnumbered you and the friends have already interpreted a disaster. No problem at all, Big Sis reminds you that there are far more who are with you than those who are against you. He is for you and no one will stand against you.
So my point in all this: be careful who interprets your reports; never take interpretation from a point of ignorance-whether passive or active ignorance; and lastly, it's good to have Big Sis who knows (is) the truth and will interpret your report accordingly.
Finally brethren, The Word of God is the one 'Big Sis' who will never misinterpret your life!!
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