A Son Never Forgets

“Men of Honour” is one of my favourite movies. It reminds me of me. Against all odds, we keep going. The higher the odds, the more we become accustomed to it. ..because we keep punching. We keep going forward because we left home and there is nothing at home. Our only option was to keep going….forward.

A background to the movie — it was centred around a young black naval officer, who was systematically frustrated in order to abandon the navy during his training. This guy was the original “no gree for anybody”. He just refused to quit despite almost facing certain death. Well, he promised his father or rather his father made him promise, never to quit….never to come back home, because there was nothing back home.

One day the commanding officer, Billy Sunday, came to him to tell him to leave gently but an argument ensued. The commanding officer threw away his radio and when it hit the floor, the inscription “ASNF” was tattooed on the radio. Billy Sunday then asked the young man — why are you so adamant not to quit. What is the motivation? Then Carl Brashear, the young black naval officer told the older Naval commander, that he made a promise to his father to make something out of his life. He rounded up the tensed conversation by telling the officer that a promise made should be kept because “a son never forgets” the promise he made to his father. A son never forget where he is coming from. A son never forgets the conversation he had with his father.

Carl Brashear went on the be the first black Master Diver in the navy against all odds. One being that he was an amputee. Some many life lessons to learn from that movie.

So today I draw inspiration from that movie to remind us of a promise we all made many years ago. Some have kept some part of the promise. Some are still keeping it. Some forgot. Some just abandoned those promises as life handed them other challenges. For some, life has practically swept them away….for no fault of their.

See a condensed version of the movie here…

As young people in the university, most of us that were saved in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ made promises to God. For a lot of us…..life was tough. The church saved us. The community of believers supported us. We saw first hand what the comfort of the spirit was. God strengthened us. The brethren gave to us. Ministries poured into our life — resources, prayers, material gifts, mentorship, etc. We then, seeing this example promised to do likewise and even better.

We promised God that…that when He prospers us……
- We will not miss Kenneth Hagin Camp meetings.
- We will sponsor students both in upkeep and fees.
- We will single handedly build places of worship.
- We will be disturbing Bishop Oyedepo’s personal account.
- We will represent God in our neighbourhood…….as father of the fatherless and the defender of widows.
- We promised and promised.

A Son Never Forgets. Will he?

Now many years (5, 10, 20, 25 years) after making the promises, it seems this son has forgotten. If you have forgotten, today is the day of remembrance.

God has personally sent me to remind you.

How have we forgotten ? Two big ways.
Has the Lord prospered us? Yes HE HAS.
Look around you…then you were one …now you are three. Then, cars were for some people, other people……today you have two. When cars were talked about, you counted yourself out of the conversation. But see what God has done today. Flight was for permanent secretaries, today you fly. Should I go on ?

So what happened to us ?
First, we think we do not have enough to act on our vows. From our “little”, we cannot spare.

Second, we have used the blessing on ourselves. We keep looking for more. We are now the JONESES. We are competing with ourselves.

Third. We have used it on projects that God did not send us. Our families must live in other continents, and we are now using the funds God gave us to bless His work to sustain our daily living. Once we could feed our whole street but now we cannot. We are paying mortgages somewhere else and hence our hand of benevolence has been withdrawn from others.
Some of us cannot even give to our parents again. We have so maxxed out our lives and we are now useless to the people around us. Our blood pressures (BP) are competing with the waves of the ocean especially when the exchange rates start dancing to Afrobeats.

An experience I can never forget was once in the office when an IT/SIWES student was leaving. As usual, we do a little party and send forth for the kids. As I was going around to gather the contributions from my colleagues, a certain colleague told me he cannot contribute. I asked why. He told me a whole lot of stories about taking care of his family elsewhere. To make it easy I told him I will pay and he will make the refund anytime in the next 6 months (na 10k we de find o). He told me he will not have 10k to spare in the next 6 months. I felt pity for him.

How did he get here? This was once a very generous guy. He has choked himself with the fear of tomorrow and has become “useless” to his environment. He was maxxed out on every front and as such he could not be a blessing to a young woman, who was returning back to school.

Four. We have lived a lifestyle that we need to maintain. It is painful to watch young people who enjoyed “community” support, grow up to alienate themselves from the same community. They refuse to “pay it back”. They refuse to remember the hands that fed them. No one is saying pay back. We are saying since this support was useful to you, do likewise to others. I have met those young men tell me…I cannot stay in a certain hotel. I only use signature perfumes. Even in this economy, they have refused to rebase their living in order to accommodate others.

A Son Never Forgets

So today I come to you with the words of Jesus.

Matthew 7:19–23 NKJV
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Luke 13:6–9 NKJV
He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

The Lord is giving us one more year o. Na scripture I dey read so.

As it came to me. I have delivered.

How do we make repentance ?
1. Say sorry to the Lord. You know how to do it
2. Revisit your promises. Go back to them literally.
3. Ask the Lord for the grace to make amends. It takes a while to change but we must start from somewhere TODAY. The Lord will give you strength and understanding. It might mean withdrawing kids from schools you have been killing yourself to pay the fees. It might mean relocating from where you relocated to. Aka Japada. It might mean changing your tailor. It might mean restarting that feeding program in your neighbourhood. You know what I am talking about.
4. Plan to go for a spiritual conference / seminar today. Not the one of your church. If you can…..make that Kenneth Hagin Camp meeting. If you cannot, many ministries do stuff in Nigeria and your local country. Go for a time of refreshing. Make it annual.
5. Find where to ensure you are contributing actively. Two ministries I try to support 700 Club and RBC Ministries (now Our Daily Bead Ministries ). It is via 700 club/ TBN News that I first saw Dr Ben Carson on TV in 1993. That single story changed my life. I made myself a promise not to forget that ministry. RBC made small books that took on doctrinal and theological matters that helped my growth as a believer. I try to support those till date.

A Son Never Forgets.

As a good son that you are…..you have another year as the gospel of Luke has said. But there is a remedy in God’s word. See the empowerment.

Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus never forgets, hence He is reminding you.
A Son Never forgets …that is why you are remembering today.

I think this day my work is done.
You can re-read it again. Let it sink in.

Your brother,
Gabriel E. Omin