Encouragement

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PARABLE OF THE ELASTIC PANTS

Although I am in my late twenties, I seem to always remember with nostalgia certain events that happened during my childhood years. Honestly, these days, I have never stopped wondering what actually drained my energy, as I was a very hyperactive, restless young boy then. My mother,(‘Bless her darling heart) had to keep up with the inexplicable rapidity at which I “manifest” my shenanigans! Being a very strict person, she wrote more than enough laws than can occupy our household gazette! But usually, I would have done my mischief before I remembered any punishment and hmnn....,She was ever so generous with her cane.

I received spanks for so many offences but there was a particular one I fell victim of so many times. I use to wear a lot of shot pants hooped with elastic rubber at the waist. And each time I wore those shorts, I had this habit of stretching the rubber from the shortest distance to the farthest. I don’t know what pushed me into such kind of “sport” but before I retire for the night any day I wore those shorts, I would have rendered them useless. It really disturbed my mother and she kept disciplining me until I “repented”!

Over time, I have mature in several areas. I have evolved into a personality my mother cherish and respect. I have become a father to my younger brother and a trusted counselor to my mother.

I have made several mistakes and I have profited from the invaluable lessons they proffered. I have lived, worked and interacted with diverse people with different temperaments and from dissimilar background both in the church and outside the church walls. Despite having developed into a people oriented person with a fair knowledge of dealing with people, there are still one or two relationships that I failed to manage properly.

For some days now, the parable of those elastic pants have been coming fresh to my heart and I am seeing it from a totally new angle. I have discovered that success in our relationship with people around us will be better enhanced if we read and understand this parable of the elastic pant.

In your mind, kindly pick a piece of elastic rubber. Have you done that? O.K. Stretch it, just a little for about a second. Release it so that it goes back to its original position. Truly, on your releasing it, it returns back to its original position. Repeat that one or two more times and you will get the same result. Next, stretch that rubber for about 10 seconds such that your two hands broaden to about 180 degrees. Repeat it for about two or three times, then release the rubber. What do you notice? Most likely the rubber does not return to its original position. In elementary physics, such rubber is said to have exceeded its elastic limit.

Quite a number of times in our relationship with people around us, we constantly, either consciously or instinctively take them for granted. Such people may be our spouses, our pastors or even an ordinary acquaintance. As a matter of fact, we gossip (only that these days we don’t call it gossip anymore, it is now known as “gist”) about people that we really need to prayerfully help. We say or do things we need not do thereby sowing negative but viable seeds that will by all means sprout up. Initially, the rubber does get back to its original position and the people don’t bother. They tend to engraft the need to take us the way we are into their hearts but as time goes on with no positive change in us, a once budding bond may slowly but surely wane and people we are destined and called to influenced by our exemplary Christ like attitudes leave us to seek alternative option elsewhere.

Of course we always look for excuses that will exonerate us from such failure. But if remember that heaven will definitely ask us question as to how we profit from every assigned relationship. These words of Corrie Ten Boom keep ringing in my heart each time I am messing up a relationship. She said “Every people, every circumstance that God brings along our path is to prepare us for a future that He alone knows”.

So, I cherish everyone that God brings along my path. Whether young or old, black or white whether close relations or my regular salesman. I have stopped taking people for granted and as much as possible I try to be a blessing to all men despite their known weaknesses. I don’t stretch the rubber abnormally again. Of course I am not doing this because my mother may discipline me but because I will give a comprehensive report to heaven’s assembly when the time comes.

Dayo

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