By Mrs. Abiola Adedotun

I learnt a great lesson many years ago, and this has helped me understand my purpose in life and the heart of God. I was going through a very difficult period in my marriage, one that I can not begin to explain in details.  I could hardly sleep for my heart was deeply troubled, and each day was a torture for me and my family. Naturally my prayers were me, me, me and my family. One day, I perceive clearly in my spirit that I should cease praying about my situation and reach out to others that are hurting and are in need. That sounds like a cruel joke to me, as of the time and I could not help but laugh in derision at my thoughts.  I wondered within myself who else could be in need and hurting as much as I was at that time. The answer the Lord gave to my heart was, "pray daughter, that I open your eyes that you may see". It was a struggle for me to begin to say prayers that was not just to do with me and my situation but to God be the glory He gradually helped me to move away from focusing on myself and my situation to His purpose for me which is to reach out to others even when my own circumstances does not appear favourable.

When the Lord finally opened my eyes to see, I was surprised to discover that just on my street alone, there are widows, the fatherless, embittered and frustrated single mothers trying to make ends meet, troubled youths and much more.  The Lord encouraged me to open my doors to all and sundry and my heart became filled with God's love and compassion. From discovering just how much people need me, I began to appreciate the purpose of God for my life and in so doing, I gradually rose above my circumstances and began fulfilling the Lord's purpose for me which is all about reaching out to the hurt and needy around me.

The biggest lesson I leant from my experience is that Christianity is not about our personal human wants but about our heart desire to express God's love to people around us even when our own personal circumstances does not look so favourable. There are millions of people suffering in all walks of life and if we can just look away from us for a second, we would discover that God’s desire for us in allowing our situations is to afford us the valuable life experience that we need to make us a blessing to other people around us. Helping those in need and reaching out to others is a therapy for us in our own times of difficulties and I believe the test of a true Christian is how effective you are in addressing the needs of others when it seems yours is left unattended to by God. God called us not to be focused on the natural but on His spiritual love. If indeed we are true Christians we should always seek God not in selfish mind but in appreciation of His love always seek Him to shine His light of mercy and grace unto others around us.  

The bible makes it clear that God requires us to:

• Comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be patient, towards  all...1Tess.1:14.
• Visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.....Jams 1:27
• ...seek judgement, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow...1sa.1:17.
• Visit, encourage and give hope to prisoners, visit the sick, the poor, the underprivileged, feed the hungry, cloth the naked, hope to the hopeless and so on....Matthew 25.32:46
• ...and when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them...Matt.9:36. God is the father of compassion and we should be like Him as his offspring.

 It is high time we stop telling people about how the early Christian fulfilled their purpose. It is time for you and I to start living the bible experience which is all about the love of God and God’s love is all about sacrifice for the benefit of others not for our own selfish ends. John 3:16.

This is the end time and instead of focusing on what the enemy is doing, is time for you and to leave our comfort zone and rise up to do our Fathers business. Let us for the love of God stop praying the usual "..I want..", and start praying the unusual which is "Father, what would you have me do”?

Blessings