Beware Of The Devourer! 2

One day while on a visit to another organization in search of a job, I ran into another man I once knew...
Standing at the reception of Raw Materials and Research Development Council, confused and almost at the point of tears because the receptionists informed me that collection of CV and applications for the advertised vacancy had closed. Instantly, I remembered that all things worked together for good, lo and behold this man strolls to me, being elderly, I greeted him, he answered and then went on to tell me how he had been observing me, he said I looked liked someone he knew about forty-something years ago, I burst out laughing because I am not anywhere near that age and then he went on to say that the person he is talking about is a man, I laughed harder because I am a full blown woman with three surviving children and a doting husband. I had a good laugh, that was what I needed at the present circumstance. We talked more as I made my way out of the complex. A big black jeep pulled over and the man stepped in, wow, this man is actually a well placed government official and very intelligent too. He called my names in full, to my utter amazement and said, when I saw you last, you were four years old, your passion for life is still as strong as I can remember. Your father was my lecturer in the College of Education in Osun state. He was a father to me. I have prayed to reconnect with him someday and be of help anyway I can. I stood there, speechless because the names he called me, I don't think my husband even knows them because most of them died with my grand parents.
This man gave me a hundred thousand naira to send to my father, he gave me his card and a note to a government parastatal. He specifically asked me to go there by Monday of the coming week, owing that the week was almost over.
I woke up as early as possible and prepared and by 9am, I was at the government agency. From the gate, I was informed that the DG was expecting me. As I walked in, she offered me a seat, collected my credentials and fast forward to this day, I am in level 15 with huge take home and that my colleague? remember him?, he is in level 12. The reason?, my agency has a faster promotion schedule and because I have an Msc., that helped.
The morale of my story;

• God is never late
• Keep improving yourself
• Be patient with God and with yourself especially if you have done all that is needful
• Never ever give up
• God is too faithful to fail
• Be grateful
• Never ever compare yourself with anyone
• Beware of the devourer

Let my story encourage, inspire and strengthen you.
Your testimony shall be sweeter.

Beware of the devourer!

We do not have the audacity to put ourselves in the same class or compare ourselves with some who [supply testimonials to] commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they lack wisdom and behave like fools. ~2COR. 10:12 (AMP)

 But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]. ~1TIM.6:6 (AMP)

 

My name is Pamela I graduated a little over ten (10) years ago with a brilliant second class upper result from one of the prestigious universities in the country and this is my story.

 

 All efforts to get a decent job proved abortive. I submitted my CV in countless organizations. But one in particular struck up my interest, I really wanted to work there, apart from it being in my line of study, it was a government parastatal with multinational affiliation having mouth watery packages. 

 

On one of the days I went visiting the said organization, at the gate I saw a very classy car about to drive out. The car pulled over and behold, it was a former course mate of mine, Bello, who had graduated with a pitiable third class, he worked in the organization and really living large, this is a fellow who partied virtually every night all through school and hardly wrote any exam on his own, I couldn't believe my eyes. He took me to lunch, and made me understand there was no vacancy yet but promised to look in for me incase of an opening, he eventually gave me 10,000 naira for cab, what? I had to pretend all through to be happy but inside me, I was full of jealous-anger, that immediately I got home, all hell was let loose.

 

I cried my heart out regretting all my years of trying to be "a good girl" I was so angry with God more so because in our years in school, Bello had boasted to me when I refused his love advances  that this my 'good girl' attitude will never get me anywhere and that taking a bet, he will one day dash me some change to help my pitiable self, lo and behold, it has come to pass.

 

 I thought about all my struggles through the years to make ends meet, she refused to acknowledge that over this time frame, I got scholarship and did my MSC, a wonderful husband and four (4). 

I was so angry that I stopped attending church service nor prayed to God nor even acknowledged that God has been faithful to me in any way, I compared myself with my former schoolmate who was now 'living large' despite his wayward lifestyle and a pitiable result.

 

I began to doubt God's word and found fault in everyone and everything, I lost interest in doing anything productive or diligent, my heart was so full of bitterness, regrets and anger that I lost one of my child in the process until the day, my husband was fed up, he didn't understand what snapped in me, he threatened to leave. Hmmm! that one I could not bear.

 

I began to seek help, I came to your fellowship meeting at the invitation of a friend. When you climbed the pulpit and read these verses of the scripture;

"God is not a man that He should lie..." ~Num.23:19. 

 

"If we believe not, {yet} He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself" ~2Tim.2:13,

 

"But godliness with contentment is great gain." ~1TIM.6:6

 

The words pierced my heart like a sword and she broke down in tears, fell on my knees weeping and crying and asking God to forgive me for allowing the evil of comparism to creep in like a devourer. When I got home that night, I couldn't believe how much I had lost in such a short period because I was comparing myself with another. I made up my mind to make things right, God being my helper.

 

One day while on a visit to another organization in search of a job, I ran into another man I once knew...

TO BE CONTINUED...