CHANGING LIVES!!!!

I saw the movie “Courageous” recently and it opened my eyes to see how as individuals we take the people in our life for granted, thinking that they will always be there and never go away. We never truly show or tell them how much they mean to us, we don’t do things together with them or just basically hang out with them, and we are always too busy and too occupied with our own stuff and in our own world to allow them into our space.

I encourage us to listen to our loved ones when they speak to us or try to communicate to us, most of the time we only hear but we don’t listen to really hear what they are truly saying to us. In the movie Courageous, young Emily asked her dad to dance with her in the parking lot but he was too embarrassed to do so because he believed people will be watching him. Emily was disappointed and danced by herself (he was thinking of what people will say instead of having a moment with his daughter) now little Emily is dead and he lives with the regret of all that he never did with her while she was alive.

We should not allow death or loss be the turning point for us, we should live life to the fullest, enjoy the company of our family while we still can, tell them how much they mean to us while we still can and have the opportunity to do so.

Look for ways to appreciate them for been in your life, even if they are sometimes a pain in your back side, there is still something about them that makes them lovable. See the good in people always, appreciate them openly when they do something good and scold with love when they misbehave, let them be constantly reassured of your love and presence in their life.

I know that as Nigerians it’s difficult for us to express love and affection to our loved ones, we hardly say “I love you” to our spouse, children, parents and siblings.

Always give people the benefit of the doubt, it doesn’t have to start and end with your family or the people in your circle of friends, we all must be responsible for the lives of people we come in contact with everyday of our lives, we need to be positive influencers of lives and adding value to every life we encounter. Let’s not leave any room for regrets in our lives.

Life is good, Live it, Love it and Enjoy it.