[ARTICLE] DON’T FOLLOW ME BY TANKO SHADRACH KWAPPET

DON’T FOLLOW ME: BY TANKO SHADRACH KWAPPET

Often we cannot answer the question post to us when we say to our friends, family or the people around us ‘’ don’t follow me’’ yet St. Peter said ‘’ Always have your answer ready for those who ask you the reason for the faith you believe about yourself.

We try all the time to be like others, bringing our own quotations day- in- day out without knowing what we are saying or doing, must people do that because they admire those into it not minding whether those doing that are ignorant of what they are doing or saying.

ALBERT CAMUS once said don’t follow me, I may not lead you, don’t walk in front of me because I may not follow you, just walk beside and be my friend. Most of us tend to follow people we only know about their public life, and when we get to know about their private life and realize that such people are not to be chosen as mentors we become frustrated because we have mimic them a lot to the extent that their ways of life have partly over shadowed ours. We have allowed they devil in us to use us as FRANCIS PICABIA will say the devil follow me day and night because he is afraid to be alone, because he knows that our worries are not important.

That’s why EPH. 4:26-27 says that we should not let resentment lead us into sin; the sunset must not find you still being angry. Do not give the devil this opportunity. Don’t go to bed with your brother in heart, try to be in charge of your life and if the life of that person you are following is totally different, then just follow your heart as GIGI HADID will say, don’t follow me , don’t watch me because I am not going anywhere. Sometime walking away is the only best option not because you don’t like the person or you want the person to miss you or realize they took you for granted, but because you finally respect yourself enough to know that you deserve the best.

Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else life, don’t be trapped by dogma which is living with the result thinking. Don’t let the noise of others opinions draw out your own inner voice and most importantly have the courage to follow your intention. As POPE FRANCIS will say each of us has a vision of good and evil we have to encourage people to move as his own idea of good and evil tells him and must choose to fellow good and fight evil as he conceives them. With this the world can be a better place.

Be in charge of your life, what you want and need take control of your emotion think positive and have the perception of seeing good always in all you do. WOLFGANG MOZART would say I pay no attention whatever to anybody praise or blame I simply follow my own feeling, which I believe those feeling are positive. That happiness will be their when you know that what you are doing is coming from your real self. Follow your dream and make impact from it because the more you ignore it, when you die it goes with you to the grave and becomes waste. That is why it is said that the cemetery is the richest place because most people die with their dreams unachieved, for some it due to some conditions like government carelessness, some selfishness, laziness, ignorant while some greed.

FOLLOW ME ATLEAST IS WRITTEN 22 TIMES in all four gospel. I counted 6 occasions in Mathew, 4 in Mark, 5 in Luke and 5 in John.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANT FOR JESUS TO SAY FOLLOW ME

Following Jesus is more than an invitation to pray or prayer. It summons us to lose our life and fine new life and ultimate joy in him. You must be ready to renounce Satan and all his empty promises. To follow Jesus, you have to seek first the kingdom of God and all others things will be added unto you. We are encouraged by the bible to take up our cross and follow Jesus for he alone cannot forsake us MATHEW 16:24-26.That is why the Church tells us that the mass is the remembrance of our Lord’s passion and death and it is the highest form of prayer We offer to adore God as our creator and Lord, to thank him for his many benevolence, for if you follow or come to him you shall have life.’’ KNOW YOUR FAITH PAGE 104, REV FR PHILIP, ARCH-DIOCESE OF JOS.

DR SIMON TERVER CHIESHE in his book “Regretting my priesthood” page 6; he said ‘’ Have I really been a model of virtue or a scandal to our children. Many a time people don’t go to church and when you ask them why they will have reasonable excuse for their act. My dear brothers and sisters are you going to church to look at the demonstration by some of your priest or are you in church to listen to the word of God and feel his present. Must times we wish to be like other persons .Often, students admire and have the desire to become catholic priests just because of the way of live they see some priests exhibit, the look and admire things like places of honor in the church and other public functions, respect and authority power and glory, they clamorous cars, state of art accommodation and furniture every wealth and prosperity.

in the book 17 “Amazing laws of academic excellent” by FELA DUROTOYE, he said in page 2 that life never gives you what you deserve but what you decide. To be a good person you must be ready to make and take right decisions in your life, you must be ready as a good Christian to accept your responsibilities even at the point of failure, you must be ready to choose Christ as your mentor and must be ready to follow him and do His will. FELA further said the best kind of motivation is self-motivation. Your motivation is what drives you from the inside to do great things. Fr. PETER ADEYEMI a priest of the catholic diocese of Osobgo said in his class about the attribute of God and the one that moved me most is the first attribute which says God is not compose at heart, God is a perfect being, humans only share in his perfection, because his self-existent being is necessarily perfect. In following God you need to be patient like a Camel, endure like a Camel, sacrifice like a Camel struggle like a Camel, be a Camel and the azure will be your bound VANDY BRWON.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE? ASK YOURSELF.

REALLY THINK ABOUT IT.

It can be anything from a family member, friends or relations, or a gift that you see it very special, that have so much memories attached to them. Do you appreciate what you have? Do you have a special friend or person in your life? Have you ever lost one of those people? We need to appreciate life and it challenges. If you are fortune enough to have enough, give to others learn to share. Life is a big long lesson and the most difficult exams with so many different classes, but above all we learn something new each day. I will always do my very best to be a good person, because I believe that the future is the rainbow of a beautiful tomorrow when you hold a dream in your heart. Follow your heart.

CONCLUSION

We all have different journey, we are all meant to do different things, you don’t become what you want but rather you become what you believe. Live different lives and become whoever we are meant to be. You can’t compare yourself to others and their lives. You might not have what they have but they also don’t have what you have. You have to be very careful when choosing your mentor. Never depend too much on anyone in this life, because even your shadow leaves you when you are in darkness. Keep praying for what you want, impossibilities and possibilities are just concept of your mind nothing is impossible. Then soon when all is well you are going to look back at this period of your life and be glad that you never gave up. Learn to live your life following the examples of Christ our savior who gave us the precepts to follow while we are here on earth in order to attain everlasting life.

References;

Google, thoughts by legends, know your faith book3 by Fr. Philip, Jos Arch-diocese, regretting my priesthood by Terver Simon Chieshe, 17 secrets of high flying students by Fela Durotoye, The Holy Scriptures, and Popes’ encyclicals.

Writen by: Tanko Shadrach Kwappet, Student of the Missionaries of Africa white father's.