Jan 2nd

Hi there,

I should probably say “Happy New Year” bearing in mind that this is the first time you would be visiting and reading TSC this year. It really won’t have mattered because there might not have been anything to read on TSC this year. I know you don’t understand it yet, i intend to help you.
This is going to be one of my straight-faced posts and i don’t expect to elicit any sort of humorous response. Its one of those “i never even thought i would write something like this” posts. Ah well, as i write this, i’ve just finished taking a cold bath and i realise that a cold bath is one of the luxuries that we have that we mostly do not realise. I am also breathing through my nose and seeing with my eyes. While these might seem to you like obvious occurrences, they have become more explicit and worth being thankful for.

The date was January 2nd and I almost died.

Started off as not so much an ordinary day seeing as our dear Govt had removed fuel subsidy, Boko Haram were threatening left, right and center, cab fares were hiked, pump prices were up, it seemed like it wanted to rain, it definitely wasn’t an ordinary day. However, nothing prepared me for what lay ahead of me.

After spending the New Year holidays with my dad and the whole family, i proceeded back to my normal abode, however, some friends had planned a little get together beach party which i had agreed to and did attend.

Got to the beach with my friend Wole and we met up with Efe. We were later joined by Tokunbo, Jolaade, Pemi , Chichi and Deola. Everyone just wanted to have a good time and we set about doing just that. We posed for pictures and clicked away without a care in the world. We shared smiles that the govt could not take away from us. We were in a place of no limits and we just “let our hair down” and allowed the breeze take away the worries that city life comes with. We played with the water and allowed it wash our feet, seemingly massaging us and taking with it our toil. Myself, Tokunbo, Chichi and Deola locked hands and waited for the next flow of water that would come our way. Deola had earlier cited her inability to swim, we were at a ‘safe’ distance so no biggie…but the way these things happen…*sigh*™

What we saw next was a large wave coming our way, we turned to move and then Deola lost her footing. Tokunbo and Chichi (had somehow been detached from us). Deola falling to the ground had a ripple effect because my arm was linked to hers. I lost my footing as well and fell. This wasn’t so bad cos we were seemingly still ashore. I tried to get up and then i saw it almost immediately, A BIGGER WAVE! In what was a split second, i saw deola struggle to get up and then WHOOSH!!! The wave had carried us both. There, i had my first experience of what Jack must have felt (without the ice cold conditions) while submerged underwater.

Please note, i do not consider myself a good swimmer though i successfully completed my swimming classes.

In the seconds that passed, i remembered deola and somehow managed to find her hand underwater and i held on to it, the waves tossed and turned us and in that time, I suddenly thought to myself “This is it, On the second day of January, After all the New Year prayers?” You’ve gotta be kidding me. I wasn’t in control of my body, i couldn’t even adjust to normal swimming position, i was just being tumbled all around. Let me help you understand, It felt like my hands were cuffed together behind my back and I was asked pick my teeth…Almost Impossible!

In those seconds, nothing mattered, not the Fuel subsidy that I had ranted about on Twitter, not the money or lack of in my bank account. NOTHING! My only thought was how do i open my mouth and utter a prayer underwater?

Then i don’t know how it happened but there seemed to be another powerful wave that came because the next thing i saw was the shore. It had washed us BACK. And i was still holding on to Deola’s hand. I can’t say how many seconds all these happened but i know it was enough to kill a person but who is he that decrees a thing and it come to pass when the Lord hasn’t allowed it? I stumbled out of the water, i had lost my slippers, my wallet had somehow stayed in my pocket and i had earlier put my phones in Toks bag. I looked at the people around and just smiled #LikeAbawse. In reality though, i was terribly shaken. I walked away from the water to LAND far far away muttering “Thank you Jesus” as i strode along. Of course i was soaked and sand filled but those were the least of my worries. That i could see, hear and touch people felt so good. I looked at Deola and i could see the fear in her eyes, i was afraid too. Yes we had just been saved from certain death. Deola said she was thinking of her mum cos apparently her mum had said she shouldn’t come. That made me think of my family. How would they know? Who would tell them? But God saw all this and stopped it from happening.

Funny part is, the party started and some would never have guessed what had happened except you looked at our hair and could see the sand, oh! The wet clothes too. We still had a great time. Thanks, Tula, Sheriph, Dania, Sawyerr, Izien, Victor and all mentioned above. We shall not die but live to declare God’s goodness in the land of the living.

To Deola, I didn’t save your life..Nah! That was 100 percent God. I had nothing to do with it. Give Him all the thanks.

I didn’t write this for the heck of it, i did because I need to be able to see this at the times i’m missing it and realise that God really does Love me. This post is proof of that love. My friend Victor said “You and these Near Death Experiences sef and i stopped and realised tha this was yet another intervention of God in my life. On my way home, i asked myself why? Why does God keep bringing me out of these situations? What is His plan for or with me? While i don’t have the answers, i definitely know that there is a plan somewhere and a role i have to play.

Its early in the year guys, you have your goals and all those fancy stuff laid out. Allow me say that its only the living that can enjoy such. If your time runs out now or something happens as was almost the case today, would you have that last chance to repent or say a prayer? Would there even be time for that? Like HIV, its best you know your status today. I think this was just a reminder to me that God’s still got me. Things haven’t gone as i wished they would but He’s still got me.

Lord Jesus, I’m thankful.

If i was born as a cat with 9 lives, I have 6 left…