Don’t Be Distracted By The Noise Of The Market By Abimbola Abatta

The market is one place I am often scared of going. Earlier this week, I went to the market with the intention of getting just an item, but I ended up getting up to four items.

This has always happened to me, and I know that I am not alone in this. In fact, I would list the things I want to buy on a piece of paper, but in the end, I will buy at least one thing that I never planned for.

I related this scenario to life, and something struck my attention. God has sent us to Earth on an errand. He has given us a particular assignment. But we get carried away on the way. The noise of the market has distracted us.

We were sent to build lives, but instead, we destroy lives. We were sent to spread positivity, but we have become instruments of negativity. We were sent to fulfil a purpose, but we have been sold out to pleasure. We were sent to mend the brokenhearted, but we end up smashing their broken hearts. We were sent to save, but we prefer to kill.

The world is like a market. A lot of distractions are on the way. Distractions could come from family, friends, neighbours, enemies, co-workers, unpleasant circumstances, inordinate desire for wealth among others. Whether you like it or not, you will be distracted. The enemy does not want you to fulfil the purpose for which you were created. And he will try all he can to push you off track.

You must guide your heart diligently against distractions. I realised that whenever traders call out to passersby, the response is determined by the passersby. The sellers can only urge you to check out their wares; they can’t force you to buy from them. No matter how enticing the shoes, clothes, earrings, bags, wigs, furniture, and utensils might seem, the sellers cannot mandate you to buy what you don’t need.

We often succumb to pressure because we are too weak to withstand pressure. One calls you to buy shoes; despite the fact that you have a million shoes, you reacted and bought some. Another calls on you to get clothes, but your intention was to get pepper. However, you were fascinated by the dazzling clothes, and you ended up buying them. This scenario happens to us all too often. And we try to justify our action by saying, “It was too good to forgo. I couldn’t resist the urge. I might need it in the future.”

Stop right there! It was too good for you to forgo pleasure for pain. You couldn’t resist the urge to kill, rape, steal, cheat, lie, backbite each is fascinating, right? You couldn’t resist negativity, depression, suicide, pessimism, doubts, low self-esteem and the other cohorts too. You couldn’t restrain yourself from these devices!

You’ve got giant dreams. Your vision is as clear as day, but you are carried away. You are busy chasing shadows and emptiness. People told you that you can’t make it in life, and you believe that falsehood. You’ve allowed the past and the failures of your parents to distract you from the path of purpose. You are distracted by the cry of other people’s success, and you begin to doubt your ability. You experienced just a minute’s storm, and you are weak already. You can’t even stand up to face your storms. You are too weak to fight! You are too weak to say NO to pressure. You are too frail to resist the noise of the market.

Everything is permissible in your life. Someone challenged your dream, but because you are doubtful, you couldn’t defend your dream. You don’t even believe in the validity of your dreams! You’ve got talents, but instead of using your talents to bless humanity, you’ve hidden them. They seem too “big” for you to handle. You told yourself that others are better than you are. You are too shy for greatness. Every time, your eyes are pushing you.

You’ve got fears, but instead of confronting your fears, you’ve given up on life. You are distracted! You are lazy. You procrastinate your destiny. You postpone your future. Ah! The devil has bought you over. He is busy dancing “shaku shaku” because you surrendered.

God is looking at you from above. Can you see the disappointment in His eyes? He has invested so much in you. He sent you on an errand with a singular mandate: fulfil your God-given purpose. But you’ve failed even before the journey began. Anyway, God is ever-faithful. He has given you another chance. If you are reading this, God has given you a fresh start. Define your purpose (your God-given errand), and start fulfilling it. Be warned: distractions will come and you must not surrender to them.

Our stay on Earth is limited. No one will be here forever. Who knows, you and I might not see tomorrow. Today is all that we’ve got. Spend today wisely. You can’t afford to squander it. You can’t afford to be distracted. As you wake up each day, wake with the reminder that you are on an errand. And when all is said and done, we will give an account of what we bought in the market of life.

Cheers!

What’s your action point from this post? I’ll see you in the comments section.

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©Abimbola F. Abatta