God’s Alphabet does not always begin with an A
BY IRINE LUM ASANJI | Twitter: @Talktolia
First published in Dunia Magazine print issue 9: Oct-Dec 2012
“…God always reveals Himself through our experiences and places us on the solidified grounds on which He wants us to walk.”
Sometimes in life it is normal to wonder whether the choices we’ve made and those made by nature on our behalf are leading us to our purpose on earth. There was a time when I felt like I was pursuing the wrong goals, gathering strengths around “valueless skills” that would never land me the lucrative job with the right “credentials” that I had always dreamed of. I wondered what good skills like being able to speak multiple languages – from Limbum to German, French to Lamnso; English to Luganda; Norwegian to Ngemba; Swedish to Aghem; being able to sing and write songs, poetry, novels, and inspirational pieces – were to me. I love to serve people and do volunteer work; adding to my bank of experiences is being a mother of two beautiful kids; I also love to cook for my loved ones.
I even started believing the negative voice that lied to me that the career skills I’d acquired over the years were inconsequential and that in order to be hooked up to the North American money line, the only choice I had was to become a nurse.
My hesitation over rushing into school when I travelled to Canada was perceived as laziness and not being proactive in clutching a career like “everyone else”, although deep down, I was truly still searching for my calling.
Now I understand God doesn’t take us down the same path as He does the other person; He didn’t have to start my alphabet like everyone else. Now I realize the skills and experiences I have gone through have added value to my life. More value than I could ever thank God for.
1. Communication skills I acquired notably when I studied Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Buea and during the 4 years I worked as a journalist, have always come in handy and been utilized to the fullest.
2. This experience and others have helped develop interpersonal and people skills that have always made it possible for me to be able to get along with apparently difficult personalities and obtained the confidence of untouchables.
3. In 2002, I travelled to Norway, and undertook studies in visual anthropology, encountering a new culture and learning new ways of interacting with these different cultures; I learned the Norwegian language, I dared to ski, went on cruises and film making adventures with my Norwegian comrades. This experience and others helped me develop versatility which has attracted more opportunities that have helped me grow.
4. Wherever I went, I was always called to be a volunteer of some sort. Even as I served God and humanity, I couldn’t see God’s hand in this until I actually found Him when He gave me a ‘phone-call in the rain’ in 2011.
5. Humility was bred in me by work experiences like being a cleaner and care-giver in Europe, and a door-to-door sales rep in Britain; these experiences have made me develop empathy and help me serve others who come my way at all times.
6. Personal losses like the passing of my dad in 2010, a series of heartaches and years of career inconsistencies in the diaspora have helped build my faith and made me believe God always knows the future better and is always ahead of me with a solution each time there is a problem.
7. Being a broadcaster, public speaker and inspirational writer in the past are qualities I strongly require to handle my newly launched Talktolia Show and other services in my growing business and ministry.
8. Being a mother, I have learnt a lot about God’s love, and the fruits of the spirit through my children. Many chapters of my first book written during maternity leave were greatly inspired by my children.
9. God inspires me to make articles out of almost every subject – biology, history, geography, chemistry, animals and insects, all of nature as God created it. I’ve written articles inspired by engineering and connected them to the Bible, about accidents, road blocks and even cues in the supermarket. As a writer, when I reflect on the origins of the subjects I write about, I realise God uses both my formal studies and informal experiences to bring to light subjects that everyone can relate to. This means, God is able to use me as I am, with the knowledge I have already acquired even as I continue to learn everyday.
It may seem like it’s taken you sometime (and pain) to get to where you are today, but God always reveals Himself through our experiences and places us on the solidified grounds on which He wants us to walk. We have to trust God to guide our dreams in the direction He desires them to go. God’s time is the best. As Habakkuk 2:3 says “the vision is for an appointed time. Though it may tarry it will surely come to pass”. And when that time comes, lots of other dead areas of your life would become speedily alive for “…those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
In conclusion, it really doesn’t matter what everyone else says, sees or thinks. Your life and your destiny are in God’s hands. Don’t rush to fix your future because people criticize or minimize what you do for a living. It might take a little time but “be patient and wait on the Lord, for what He has for you will be yours at His own appointed time” (the words of my Late Father Rev. Joseph Asanji, to me in 2008).
If you can relate to my story, please, ask God to inspire you and show you your true calling where you will be fully utilized; where there will be no struggles, no regret, no inferiority complex and above all no self-doubt and waste of time and energy. It doesn’t have to be a bed of roses all the time, but we could only enjoy the roses better when we know Christ stood behind the thorns all along.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
Irine Lum Asanji (aka LIA) is a freelance writer and journalist based in Brampton, Canada. Born and raised in Cameroon the daughter and sister of Pastors, LIA immigrated to Canada in 2006. She holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism (University of Buea, Cameroon) and a postgraduate degree in Visual Anthropology (University of Tromso, Norway). She has worked as a journalist and Communication Officer with the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC). LIA recently designed and launched a website talktolia.com geared towards Marriage and Family enrichment services, which serves as her ministry and her private business. She is an employee with Broan-Nutone Canada and became born-again in 2011 making her more evangelistic in her approach to writing. She speaks English, French, German and Norwegian. She is a mother of two and enjoys singing, cooking, dancing and a good laugh. She writes under her name and her pen name LIA which also means Lord Is Able.
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