TOXIC HABITS

TOXIC HABITS

A toxic habit is a counter productive habit that limits one's chance of being helped or recommended for a life changing opportunity. The tendency to label and ignore people under the guise of class distinction is one of the most toxic habits one can ever think of or imagine. 

If someone is in the habit of shunning or ignoring others under the guise that he or she has arrived; such a person will realise too late that the table has turned against him or her. Beginning to acknowledge those you ignored in the past because the table has turned in their favour will not make any difference. 

In a changing (not static) world, those who will not regret their lives are the ones who have learned the secret of treating everyone well irrespective of their social status, race or creed. The best way to build bridges of understanding is to be constantly welcoming to all because you will be welcomed, in return, when the chips are down!

In the womb of time anything can happen. The shoeless folk you have maltreated or you are maltreating today could be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) whose clearance must be obtained to be granted leave tomorrow on the highway of life. The househelp you overworked to give your children personal comfort could be the one to recommend the employment of your pampered children tomorrow. The neighbours you antagonised today might be referenced for help tomorrow. That lady or guy you jilted (abandoned) because she or he is rated below your social standard is, also, a developing story, you might have to fill a visitor form in four different check points to see tomorrow!

You meet people in school, market, places of worship, on transit, everywhere but you cannot predict where life takes them tomorrow. That bus conductor could be president tomorrow; that student you have written-off as knowing nothing, could make a vice chancellor in the future. Who told you that the student you failed because he/she is associated with your perceived enemy will not be anything in life?

You swore to the heavens that Ajang (fictitious name) cannot be a counsellor in your life time; don't be surprised he might be a president before you kiss the earth. You wrote off Juliet (another fictitious name) because you are not in the same political camp together; hey, you are wrong. The impartial and just God that blesses people including you is still the one holding the key to everyone's destiny. At any time, he can turn nothing into something: A stone into bread or water into wine!

When God blesses, the barren reproduces; when God curses, blossoming fig trees dry. He alone is all powerful. Only him is 'the uncaused cause and the unmoved mover.' He will never share his glory with anybody, we are emphatically told!

When God makes you rich, educated or powerful, it is a sacred trust and a responsibility to recreate and make the world better for all to benefit from. If you jeopardise that opportunity on the altar of greed, pride, hate or even self delusion, you are on your own. All powers, riches and education are transient. 'Nothing', they say, 'lasts forever' except the grace to be gracious and loving towards all. 

Love is intangible but it is infinite in value. If it is possible and, it should, make sure you grease the will of your rusty relationships and reconnect because that is the right thing to do.

Toxic habits are unwelcomed in every given circumstance but we don't give up on habitually bad people. We don't ignore people even if they are habitually bad. We engage them with the view to make them better breeds. When you ignore peope under any guise, then, you are also added to the rank of habitually bad people in the world!

The quality of our relationships with God, are measured by the quality of our relationships with men. You cannot ignore those on your contact list and claimed to be in right standing with God who brought you together. To acknowledge, embrace and love all people, especially, those on our contact list is the ideal all mortals should live for and possibly die projecting. One love!

As I conclude, let me draw our attention to one of my best scriptural verses, Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NIV): "I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all." With this verse in mind, we shall be hopeful and with it, also, we cannot underestimate anyone. 'Time and chance happens to all' - absolutely all!

*(Modest Thoughts with Ayuba, Yilgak'ha, November  18, 2023)*