It's Your Life; Write Your Own Script

Yes, yes it’s Bank PHB’s current slogan. Ehh, i borrowed it from them. After all, I am a ‘customer’ as long as I am a Nigerian, with or without an account. But this says exactly what’s on my mind. Thanks Bank PHB. This is straight talk MINE readers. And its been piercing my heart for a while, but even more, its being destroying a generation silently.

The MINE celebrity from the last edition, Samuel Fatomi was at Mrs Adigun’s (the MINE Publisher’s “still pretty at over 50” mum, by the way a grandma now) office on an official visit while I was there on an unofficial visit. He shared an experience that really got at me and inspired this article.

He shared about a teenage girl with three younger ones who were suddenly kicked out of their father’s house by no one else than their father. He just woke them up that morning and asked them to leave. Yes, its superstory gangan, except that I’m double sure this happened to one of your contemporaries. They couldn’t and still can’t figure out why till now. She told the story to Mr. Samuel and his crew when they inquired from them why they’ve being sleeping in church for a while. And her father’s been that way for some time.

Sometime earlier, her Dad would always demand for the whole of her income from a petty job she picked up to support her family. He would split it into 3 portions and hand her only a third of it to cater for herself and two siblings while he goes on a spending spree. “Can that truly be her Dad ?”,I hear you say. Yes o! Told you it’s real superstory. And her mom? She’s been off with another man now for a while since she’s divorced. “Is she so divorced that she can’t care about three kids that came out of her womb”? Mrs Adigun screamed.

And this is just one of the examples of what many teenagers are going through in this generation. And unfortunately, much of it is not their fault. Yes it’s the present day adults that are responsible for of the things teenagers are suffering. They are responsible for the WAEC exam paper and other exam papers that leak from their offices. And yes, they give us money to buy them too. Teenagers are not responsible for the new low waist jeans and other inappropriate dresses that have flooded the markets today, they are.


They are responsible for turning the cleavage, which should never be seen, into fashion accesories that complement jeweleries and clothing necklines. They are the movie and music video screen writers, producers, directors, actors, musicians that have ensured that nudity, kissing, smooching and sex are mandatory in these screen materials. Actors that act nude are even paid higher. And they have discovered technologies that make this unholy pornographic materials run after us (TV, CD’s, VCD’s, Cable TV, Ipods, MP4’s and the internet which makes them a click away, ANYWHERE). While in their time it was kilometeres away in cinemas and clubs and only available at night.

They are the lecturers and teachers and administrators who can not develop or at least, maintain the same systems, structures and institutions that produced them. Sex is cheaper and even easier to cover now because they have found ways to prevent the once inevitable result, pregnancy. Condoms and contraceptives are now available even its ever increasing failure and side effect is never emphasised. Abortion is much more affordable and readily available now. They didn’t have this many options when they were our age and so they were much more careful. One of the many reasons many of them married early.

Oh my God, the list is endless. Check out governance in Nigeria at all levels. Its almost like corruption has being institutionalised. The younger generation is not even sure what is corrupt and what is not. If we have to blame someone, I blame our parents first. We are simply a product of our society. And with this kind of society, what kind of kids do they want. Hmmm!!! By the way, you are the kid I’m talking about. With so much doom and gloom around, you are.....!!

Guess you must be rejecting that kind of future. “Is it going to be so bad?” you seem to be asking. And my answer is NO! NO!! NO!!! And that’s what I’m here to offer. IT’S YOUR LIFE; WRITE RIGHT YOUR OWN SCRIPT. More than ever before, you need to grab your destiny and live it RIGHT. Many of the things I spoke of earlier have positive sides. And there are still many good parents, good schools and even very wonderful adults that are trying to ensure that you lead a good life. So you have a choice. It up to you and what you’ll choose. You cannot afford to be a part of this mess. Find your life in Christ and live it, NOW.

A script is the written form of a movie, drama, film, play or speech. It is usually written to determine what exactly the actors would act. It is written before the film is acted. This means that the beautiful movies, plays and Barack Obama’s beautiful speeches have already been pre-planned and pre-determined before the impressive things you see. So is it with every man on this stage called on earth. We are all living out a certain script written for our lives. The bible says in Jeremiah 28:18 that God has clear cut plans for our lives before we were born.

But the devil also has an alternative plan that he has fashioned out for those who allow him to take charge of their lives. So who would you like to follow? Now what you do every second is your script. If you choose to flip this page right now then that is your script. But like you itemize the things you want to do in the day before you go to bed the previous day and go ahead to do just that on that day, which is called planning, so it is in life. You are either living God’s beautiful plan or the Devil’s horrible plan.

How do you live God’s plan? Proverbs 3:5-6 says rely/depend on Him with all you heart; in all your ways let His will be your act, AND HE WILL DIRECT YOUR LIFE. Psalm 119:105, His word shows you the way and guides you all the way in THAT (His) way.(Please read both scriptures and meditate on them. They are with deep meanings. You may even discuss them in your fellowship or with your pastor for deeper understanding).

From both scriptures, God says you will live your life yourself (you are the actor) according to your script (your plan). But you should allow Him to show you how you can live your life best, how you can write a better script for yourself. Allow Him to direct your life. Like the director at the location of a play or movie, He will tell you when you are right or wrong, what you should do better or stop doing. HE WILL HELP YOU TO WRITE YOUR SCRIPT AND EVEN DIRECT YOUR ACTIONS ON THE STAGE OF LIFE.

You don’t have to leave the life that societal ills have to offer. You can live a different life. Even though that girl I talked about has such terrible parents, some of us have the best parents in the world. Even though there is so much pornography around us, some of us have chosen to keep our eyes off them and fix them on God and live holy lives. Determine to right your life, no matter what you’ve been through; lay it at God’s feet today. And if you think you don’t need God’s guidance in your life cos it all going smoothly, watch out, the smooth will soon get very slippery....and the fall might not be funny. Find your life in God and live your best life today. God will help us all. CHEERIO

Written by Dade Akinwande