TAKING THE BULLETS

I was watching a movie earlier today. I'm sorry, but I can't remember the title. X_X

I’ll try to tell the story as precise as possible, cos I was multitasking while watching it – babysitting, taking notes, talking and texting on the phone *Big grin*

There was this young widow (patty), who had two kids and was seriously in need of a job. She got an offer from frank - a guy she barely knew - to run an Italian restaurant (though she had no previous experience). She needed the money badly.

She did very well in starting off the business and even running the new club. Long story short, frank’s boss, the real owner of the bar n club, wanted patty to do something much more tasking and risky – transporting money made from illegal biz across the border. You know what they say “Nobody walks out on the BIG guy!” She agreed to try it once, before concluding if she was going to continue. After their meeting that day in her house, she walked up to her mother and told her to take care of her two sons. The mum obviously knew what she was getting herself into. She said “If I were you, I’d take the bullets.”

Six years later, after crossing borders with $500,000 (50 times, successfully), she became very wealthy. (Who wouldn’t want that kind of job? Just driving across borders and making some cool cash).
While throwing a party for her eldest son, on his confirmation, the son was trying to take a picture with his uncle and stole his uncle’s cufflinks in the process. He rode out on his bike in a bid to go sell it and make him some quick cash. Unfortunately for him, he discovered a dead body at the spot where he was supposed to trade the stolen item. The cops drove by and picked him up. When his mother went to bail him, she tossed him into the car and asked him “did you steal your uncle’s cuffs?” to which he replied “Do you steal?” hmmm….

Things got very ugly. Some people got arrested. Some got beat up. Some got killed. She was already neck-deep into it. Her life and the lives of her kids were already in danger. Frank wanted to kill her. The next move was to secure the lives of her kids and her mum. She made mistakes over the years, and she was trying to erase them in a jiffy.

Finally, she struck a deal with the boss, and he let her break out of the clique and also spared frank’s life. In return, frank spared hers. She was lucky, right? Making all that money, dining with drug lords and doing all sorts, yet her life was spared. Some others had to die.

This sounds like something you’ve heard before. It happens all around us. Many people do ugly stuff and don’t get caught. Some commit atrocities but are discharged and acquitted in court. Some take innocent lives and destroy properties, yet walk the streets untouched.

I’m sure we all know that everything we heap up here on earth will be left behind when all is said and done – when death comes knocking at the door? No cars, properties, spouse, kids, houses, gadgets…name it…will be taken away! What you have or had wouldn’t matter anymore. It’s how well you lived your life that will matter.

In one of my previous posts, OUR TEMPORARY HOME, remember I said “You might be complaining that the place you call your shelter is demeaning. The room is too small to contain you and your family. Your friends change their wardrobes every summer, but you can’t boast of a new pair of suit in the last 2years. Your parents can’t afford to send you to high school so you resulted to petty trading.”? Yeah. Some of us don’t have it all.

Truth be told, no matter how hard some of us start working now, there are many others that have gone light years ahead of us in terms of doing business, research, achievements, global change, scientific stuff and so on.

Life and living is not just about competition. What would you be remembered for? What will people say about you when you’re gone? Most importantly, what will God say to you? “Welcome, oh faithful servant. You didn’t take any man’s spoils; you were contented with what you had; even though you weren’t as wealthy as King Solomon, you were a man of integrity; even though you weren’t as popular as Martin Luther King, you still affected the lives of people around you; you hearkened diligently to my words.”?

Just before the end of the movie, I remembered what patty’s mum said to her six years earlier “If I were you, I’d take the bullets.” I would stay away from all the drama, and raise my kids with a clean record; I want risk walking the streets in fear because I want to make some extra cash; I’d go out in search of another job; I won’t trade my integrity for a morsel of bread. From the way the movie ended, don't you think Patty would look at her mum and say "Mama, I'm glad I didn't take the bullets. I'm glad I did a bad things to get good results"?

The narrator at the end of the movie was patty’s elder son. In his last words, before the credit rolled, he said “When the devil shows up with a truck load of promises, to walk away is harder than you think”
It’s not easy, yes, but that’s why the Holy Spirit is there to guide us. That’s why we must be prayerful. That’s why we need to strengthen our relationship with God. That’s why we need to be focused and not get carried away with things that would deny us access into eternal life.

God is there to meet us at the point of our needs…not wants. The devil places options of what we 'want' before us. “I want to get rich” there are better ways of getting rich than falsifying figures and looting public funds. “I want to be in charge” there are better ways of getting into positions of authority than taking the lives of fellow competitors. Start by gaining people’s trust in all you do, maybe you'll win their votes. “I want to have the best results in college” there are better ways of excelling academically than indulging in examination malpractices. Start by reading any and everything you can lay ur hands on - anything related to your field of study.

Bottomline: Be truthful, even if it means starving for a little longer. Quit your job if it will make you compromise your faith and cause you to do evil in the sight of God. Stay away from so-called friends who make you indulge in stuff that don’t glorify God. You’re going to lose some, and you’re going to keep some. The most important thing is that you have a Christ by your side.

Patty got lucky, you may not! She wanted to make money by all means. On the long run, there will be repercussions. “He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.” Proverbs 28:8

Maybe there are no more bullets to be taken. You already indulged yourself. You’re already in that position you got via crooked means; you’ve spent all the money you looted; you’ve taking lives and properties; you’ve even lied to obtain favour. You can still get out. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. He is a merciful God. The bible says “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. There's an opportunity to start doing things right again; To correct the wrongs that can be corrected and obtain mercy.

There’s nothing wrong with being rich and prosperous, but there’s EVERYTHING wrong with ill-gotten wealth. Jacob worked for laban for 20yrs. He didn't cheat him or steal from him, and God prospered him. "This is my situation: The heat consumed me in the day time and the cold had night, and sleep fled from my eyes" said jacob to laban. Gen 31:40

Take the bullets! It will hurt for a while. But to those who believe, God will come through for them. Amen.

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches; and lovin favour rather than silver or gold.” Proverbs 22:1


Work hard. Pray harder. Thank God