(Part 1/2) There are two phrases that are very dear to me, ‘Do it Afraid’ and ‘The Richer Life’. When both come together, they are very significant. But what do they mean?
In the past, I wanted to live the rich life based on my experiences and my background. I come from a very wealthy home; my grandfather was extremely wealthy, but when he died, things sort of took a downturn financially. We struggled but through God’s grace I still went to the best schools, but it was a real struggle.
I remember thinking as I grew up that I never wanted to go through some of the challenges I had experienced. I decided that I was going to be very rich and live the good life.
My aunt worked in a bank, drove a sports car and I wanted to be like her. I studied accounting and finance in the UK and came back to Nigeria to work in one of the top 4 accounting firms in the world. I worked in auditing, switched to investment banking in my dream company and basically pursued money for a while. I had so many side hustles/ businesses and made a lot of money but I spent unwisely.
Eventually, I got to the point where I was fed up of working and chasing money. I wanted to fulfill my purpose. I wanted to live the richer life. Around this time, things began to happen. My mum was diagnosed with a brain tumor for the second time and I had to travel abroad with her for about 6 weeks. I had a lot of time to think. There was also the DANA plane crash and a couple of people that I knew died; young people with so much potential. So I began to think, ‘life is very precious. You need to live the life that you were created to live.’
Two important things are the impact you make for Christ here on Earth, which is your purpose, and the memories you create with your loved ones. At that time, I wasn’t spending enough time with my children and my family because I was working late. I joined the Master Life discipleship class at the Guiding Light Assembly and that really helped me to develop my relationship with God.
(Read the concluding part of this story on our website.)