Once, I got a N50 note at the Lekki tollgate on Ozumba Mbadiwe road and it looked as though if you touched it, it would still be warm from the mint…that’s how fresh and crisp it was. And so, like the Barbie that I am, I decided to not use it at all…I mean how could I?! It was too pretty to be wasted on anything I needed to pay for, it looked like a collectors item, like a special gift from the Central bank directly to me, and so I kept it stored away.

This ‘keeping’ managed to last all of three-four weeks. Suffice to say that several toll passes later, I found myself at the same toll gate again and this time I was (you guessed it) N50 short of the toll fee. Surprise, surprise, that minted green N50 started to look like A LOT like currency again to me, I used it to pay.

That experience made me to think about money a little differently…and strangely enough, Christianity as well. Money of its own has no value at all…unless it is being used. I mean think about it, what use is money on its own? It doesn’t beautify the environment, speak a foreign language, or cook…it just is. It’s sole purpose for existence is to be used and if it is not being used it is literally useless; pointless and without value.

In the same way as Christians, if we are not giving of ourselves; helping, encouraging, teaching, listening, worshiping, sharing etc…we are just empty shells driven solely by our personal ambitions and needs. I think humans are created for more, I know Christians are certainly called for more; the purpose for our existence is to be put in use. Like my money, the raison d’etre is to be put in circulation, to be used, exchanged for much more than the little we began with. So, I exchange my N50 for something I reckon is more valuable than the N50, the liberty to cross the toll and head into Lekki. We give a little because we know that it releases us to receive a lot more than we initially owned.

The parable of the sower talks about a seed that falls on good soil…how do we know that it is a good soil? “But the other seed fell on good soil where it produced a crop-100, 60, 30 fold.” Matthew 13. That is the test, that it was able to produce much more of itself than just that little seed sown in the ground, through the solo seed a hundred seeds arose strong!

I think more of us need to sacrifice and to give of ourselves for others.

On Saturday I auditioned for a part in a musical, its called The Illicit Affair, it’s David and Bathsheba story predictably…but I’m trusting our producer-bar-none, Shayo to make it an incredible tale. So anyways, auditions. The story of David made me think, its so interesting that from time immemorial God has ALWAYS used regular people like us to wield mighty miracles and by miracles I don’t mean just demon-chasing-handkerchief-throwing…many times, YOU are the answer to someone’s prayer and that in itself is a miracle. So yeah, let’s just keep making ourselves open to being used by God and present to hear and help each other.

*Drops mic, steps off pulpit…exits stage right*