8 minute read
Profession of Faith
from gemWOMAN Vol.1 No.3
Starting Out…
not too young, not too old!
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by Hannah Oyebanjo
“Ma, I just quit my job with a financial institution. Although I was well paid, I would rather take a job that allows me to spend more time with my family. Having spent 7 years on my the job, three more years on the job would have earned me greater benefits, but something tells me it would be the most miserable period in my life. Already I feel like a stranger in my own home.”
Many women find themselves trapped in tedious and uninteresting work conditions today, but few are able to take that major leap that will bring order and sanity to their world.
It’s important to remind ourselves that we can only find fulfillment in life not just in pursuing our career goals but doing those things that bring meaning to our lives. We are often tempted to grab that plump job with fat salary though we dread the responsibilities that come with it. We hate Mondays and wish that Fridays extend forever!
A lot of us are simply ‘managing’ to get by without a guarantee of happiness, yet we are afraid to launch out to the deep either due to uncertainties or because we think it’s rather late in the day. There are some who believe they are to young to leave their employment and start something of their own, even though they have all it takes in terms of technical know-how and intelligence.
Reasons Women Pursue Wrong Career
1. Lack of right counsel 2. Inability to readily identify area of keen interest 3. Frequently changing interests 4. Inability to focus on a particular career due to multiple talents and skills 5. Lack of financial support to pursue the desired career 6. Short-term orientation and focus- a mentality of ‘survive now, tomorrow will take care of itself” 7. Fear of the unknown 8. Lack of self confidence 9. Concerns about other people’s perception of the career choice 10.Too old or too young syndrome
Finding the Right Career
How are you able to identify the right career for yourself even now?
Know Yourself:
Developing career goals require basic information; knowledge about yourself and career options that are compatible with your interests, values, and skills.
Clarify Your Interests:
Further explore your work interests or preferences by remembering what courses you’ve enjoyed and the careers you have considered.
Assess Your Values:
Determine which personal values or attitudes influences and affects you in decision making and actions.
Determine Your Skills:
Evaluate what skills you currently possess or want to develop. Skills come from a variety of work, academic, and life experiences.
Explore Options:
Acquainting yourself with various career fields and what the jobs actually entail is critical to developing career goals.
Determine Preliminary Goals:
Summarize the results of your selfassessment on a prioritized list to guide your in research.
Not too Young or Old
You are never too young or too old to start your dream career. Remember that it is not how far but how well. You can only perform your duties with passion only when the career path has been clearly defined.
David was called by God at a tender teenage age whereas Moses received a push in his adult years. There is an African adage that says the morning hours of a man life is the time he/she wakes up; be it noon, evening or night! You must determine for yourself whether your age is a barrier to your chosen profession or not, it is not a decision that others should make for you.
I have been personally blessed seeing some elderly gospel artistes doing what they enjoy doing! It’s your call.
Are You Still Bothered about Age?
1. Pray about your career decision 2. Be courageous - Its your life! 3. Take that risk 4. Get committed to your passion. 5. Be humble enough to learn from others even if they younger than you are 6. Have a trainable heart. Learn from those who are older than you even if you are a whiz kid 7. Be self confident 8. Be disciplined - You have a point to prove 9. Be positive - the first world to conquer is your mind 10.God makes the difference - He can do exceedingly and abundantly above all that you can ever ask or think. I recall the case of a senior friend in her late thirties who said she had always wanted to obtain a university degree in order to pursue a career in teaching. She was encouraged to do so and in no time became a graduate. She is more enthusiastic about life and generally more fulfilled.
It becomes very important for us as women, to help in identifying the areas of career interest in our children and encourage them in their career pursuits. They are never too young to launch out!
In conclusion, your age is not the issue. The success you make of the decision to change to a more fulfilling career, may soon become a reference point and a source of encouragement to others. The age you chose to make that move could actually be the core issue in your motivational story. So stop procrastinating, stop dilly-dallying! Get started.
StandingGap in the
As in the days of old when Esther stood in the gap for the Jews in the face of impending extermination, Patience Eworo coordinator of the Women Intercessors International Fellowship (WIIF), heeded the call to stand up as one of God’s Generals for her native land, her nation and women the world over.
This was not only borne out of desire to see the will of God come to pass in the lives of men, but also an understanding of the intercessory ministry.
“I caught a revelation that made me realise that God is looking for a woman to stand in the gap and as His daughter, I am being called to arise and fulfil a purpose for my generation. In Jeremiah 9, the Bible spoke about the wailing woman and in Genesis see the story of how God created the woman out of the man to be his help-meet for him. Women are called to be help-meet and that means God has given unto us that thing which the man needs to fulfil the assignment of` God for his life. In 2004 to be precise, God said He will groom me for an intercessory ministry for women and He is doing that powerfully through WIIF today.’
Describing the activities of the group, Patience says, ‘we take issues to God when we meet, not necessarily on things that concern us, but based on revelation. We intercede on pressing issues for individuals, families, the church of God and nations by the help of the Holy Spirit. We are not tailored after the ‘bless me’ pattern because we know that when we seek God first, all other things shall be added unto us. It is about erecting walls that have been broken down.’
To support this fact, Patience shares one of the many testimonies that abound in their midst. ‘To let people know that the power as of old is still present in our days, the marriage of a woman who has been separated from her husband for 14 years, was restored.
She talks about the fact that she is the most unlikely of women to be used by God because of her colourful past.
‘Honesty, I do not know the qualification by which God calls a man, for I do not qualify by any chance. Up till now, I still wonder how I got here. When I got born again, I heard people talk about hearing from God and I wondered if God will ever speak to me. I began to worship God and fellowship with other brethren and prayed that I should hear from Him. The best moments of my life are the times I share in His presence. My whole family knows that, so whenever I am upset, my eldest daughter will say, mummy it’s time for worship. That was how I came to hear from God. There is no way you seek God and not hear from Him.’
Patience speaks of the place of women in the building of broken walls in the family as the only remedy for the revival of nations and healing of societies.
‘It all begins from the home, the church and then to the society. The Bible says a wise woman builds her home. God can not demand from you, what he has not given to you. The woman is the bridge to overcoming obstacles in the home regardless of whether she has a good husband or not and any woman who has lost her godly virtues or who has none, will find it difficult to flow. A woman’s strength rests on her knees where she can inter-
cede on behalf of her husband before his maker and not in fighting and quarrelling as is often the case. I have come to that realisation. You need not insult your husband or call him names because once you’ve said your husband is stupid, he acts stupidly.’
She says the secret to living a godly Christian life is, ‘an indwelling of the word of God. Until God’s word becomes life to you, you cannot be empowered to come out of condemnation (2 Cor 5:17). Only the glory of God can takes away your past.’
Patience’s dream for WIIF is, ‘to go to the nations - we are not limited by walls or boundaries.’
WIIF holds its meetings at 10.00 a.m, every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at A.Y Hotels Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos.
