To Cultivate and to Maintain

To Maintain and to Cultivate
(Written by Joy A. Adewumi)

'Whatever you get from heaven has to be maintained on earth! When God saves you from the power of sin, you have to deliberately latch unto His grace to stay righteous! When He sanctifies you, you are the one to make conscious efforts to flee from all appearances of evil and stay holy!

When He gives you a talent, you have to be intentional about honing that talent into a skill and using it to glorify Him and grow His kingdom. And even when God blesses you with a marriage match made in heaven, you need know that if you don't put conscious effort into making your marriage work, it could still fail!

You need to work with whatever God has given you for it to actually glorify Him! Did you catch that?!'

Usually, I would have zoned out of the sermon, bad habit, I know, but for some reason, as Pastor Chike, the new Youth Pastor charged on, all my faculties were at alert!

Somehow, his words were hitting me on all the right spots and I felt as though the point he'd just elaborated was the answer to all my questions!

Just two weeks ago, I was going through my FB feed and I saw a masterclass organised by Chidera, my former course mate. I shot up on the couch as if someone poked me! Chichi? She just never seemed 'Coach material'. But there she was, before my very eyes organizing her fifth public speaking masterclass in six months!

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Shortly after, our class group celebrated Sumonu, the dude who almost never spoke a word, and was more like an outsider, for his win on a program-coding contest. Like, how did that even happen? We were all graduates of Arts and Social Science Education, for Pete's sake!

Then, the one that had my head turningoninown was Abimbola's graduation pictures, as she obtained her Masters of Advanced Studies in Data Science and Engineering, from the University of California, San Diego. As in, Bimbim, the girl that just use to slay up and down during NYSC back then! This girl would make-up for thirty minutes every blessed CDS day. Trust me, I never imagined she was MAS, UCal material. I thought it was all a dream.

Since that time, I realised there was more to do than graduate, get a job and live from day to day. I developed a hunger for something more, and each day saw me getting more restive and dissatisfied than the last. But, I didn't have the slightest idea what special thing I had in me. Even if there was one, I just didn't think I had it in me to amount to much. All I knew was I loved teaching and it was my profession.

Those guys with whom I was at the same level some four years ago now seemed like demi-gods. With each passing day, as I looked up the achievements of more of my classmates, I felt smaller and smaller.

I had nothing! I thought I probably wasn't greatness material. I mean, I have been teaching in the same secondary school since I completed my service year and even these days, my mum has been looking at me like, Madam, when will you move out of my house and get a new surname?

So, as Pastor Chike continued, I prayed a silent prayer that he would drop something that would show me what special thing I could do with my life.

'Now, that said, someone is probably thinking, "shebi, it's someone whom God has given something that will maintain it." And I say hold it dia!' Many of the congregants laughed but I was too busy bating my breath for his next words that I didn't remember to catch the humor.

'God has deposited in everyone something that has the potential to include your name in life's hall of fame. The only reason you are not manifesting in the realm of greatness is either because you have not found it, or you're too lazy to cultivate it!' He continued.

Tears of frustration sprung to my eyes as I groaned in my spirit,

'Lord, what is it!?'

'You might have to spend time with God to help you see what it is, and to ignite the passion in you to cultivate and maintain it!' Pastor Chike finished.

As we prayed after that sermon, I knew I was one of those whom God had in mind as He led Pastor Chike to deliver the message. This assurance fueled my cry as I poured out my frustrations and heart to Him. I was dissatisfied! I wanted to be more. Something told me I was made to be more. The Pastor confirmed it. And now, I couldn't imagine life going as docilely as it used to.

The next day, as I walked past my students during recess, I overhead one of them lamenting the sparseness of interesting and engaging videos for students in the humanities, unlike the abundance of visual aids the science students enjoyed.

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I stopped in my tracks! Or more correctly, my feet stopped of their own volition, because I almost tripped. The sudden conviction in my heart was almost unmistakable! This was it!

Yea, it was nothing as glamorous as what many of my mates had achieved, but as I had prayed over and over since the previous day, the Spirit of God had made to understand that what He had planted in me, was not to compete with others, but to add value and to impact lives.

That day, I began asking my students questions, about how they would like a YouTube channel that would be their plug for videos that could explain further what had been taught in class.

Habibat, one of my students in SS3 replied, 'Ma, if you will be the one teaching it, I know 'A' sure for me in Government and Civic this WAEC.' Everyone laughed and agreed. Little did they know what they had watered in my heart.

As more answers came, I got lots of tips and motivation as to how to make the channel a real plug for humanities students, maybe even beyond the borders of Nigeria. I mean, don't all West African students take a unified final exam? I was over the moon!

I began checking up helpful materials. I read up and watched videos on the art of YouTubing. I made hundreds of mock videos and learnt from my mistakes. I allowed my sanguine streak shine through and outdid myself with engaging and humorous illustrations.

Then finally, the day for the launch came and I let all my students know they would now be getting a new YouTube channel! One where they could get in-depth understanding on some of the major subjects in the humanities- with Government and Civic Education to start with.

Their excitement was so evident that I was afraid of performing below expectation. But that fear was brought to permanent rest after dropping my first couple of videos. The bulk of SS2 Arts rushed to the staff room to talk excitedly about the videos.

'Please ma, can you upload everyday!?' Irawo was literally jumping.

'Oh my God! I never imagined I could  grasp Public Administration like I did from that video.' Tikare could not hide his cute dimpled smile.

'Wow! I always thought the way you taught in class is the ultimate o and that's why I was excited about the channel, but when I watched the videos ehn? I found myself watching again and again. With the way you explained the concepts and threw in jokes and fun exercises, I was wishing it was a 16-episode K-drama.' Ndidi, the assistant labour prefect quipped.

Tears sprung to my eyes at their comments! In fact, I almost lost it right there had I not been saved by the bell that signalled the end of recess.

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Olamide, my colleague, the French teacher, turned to me after the students filed out and said,

'Kiki, honestly, those kids were right. I watched those videos too. You were amazing. I wish I had something like that when I was a student. If you keep this up, something tells me that our students will perform way better in this terms exams than in the previous ones.'

I was just shaking my head. I couldn't process all the information at once. I was overwhelmed. More importantly, I was motivated! This was my own great thing and I wanted more than ever to cultivate and maintain it!

Well, today is my vlogerversary! It marks a year since the channel began and I have about 50k subscribers, and no less than 70k views on old videos. Some months back, I began an M.Ed program- one I'm funding with the profit from monetizing my channel!

I'm still a teacher, but I'm impacting lives beyond the four walls of my physical class now, even beyond the borders of Nigeria, like I dreamt.

More so, I feel fulfilled with every single video and the multitude of comments showing appreciation that follow.

And each time I drop on my knees in gratitude, I bless those classmates who unknowingly challenged me out of the banal life I was living, and Pastor Chike who spoke up, helping my life never to remain the same.

Dear friend, I don't know what it is, but I know something that will celebrate God has been deposited in you! You just might have to cry out to God to help you find it. It also might be obvious and you're despising it, because it doesn't look as glamorous as what the person next door has, but I'll advise you despise not the days of little beginning.

Stand up! Shake off the docility and place your brand on the map!

The earnest expectations of the creatures await the manifestations of the sons of God.

*****************************

Yours truly,

The Girl with the Winning Smile,

Spirit Pen!

If you've been blessed by this piece, do drop a comment for me in the comment box below.