WHAT OPPORTUNITY IS THERE HERE?

The woman was bent over her sewing machine, so deeply focused on finding the fault she hardly noticed me walk up to her. I was intrigued by her DIY attitude and promptly sat opposite her to see if we could make the necessary repairs. Try as we may, it was an impossible situation for two who lacked the technical know how in fixing even as basic a machine as a Singer. “Why don’t you call a technician?” I finally asked, ready to help this industrious woman restore her means of livelihood. Her response left me befuddled and intrigued.

Three weeks past by and the machine was still not fixed. Intrigued as to why, I deepened my search for the truth and began a physical audit of tailors in the community. It made no sense to me that a town with well over 100 sewing machine didn’t have a single technician within a 50km radius and so it was I discovered that should any of the numerous tailors require a servicing, they had but one of two choices open to them; to wait until they were traveling to Aba (125km away) to restock textiles and carrying their bad sewing machine with them, get it fixed while they shopped or pool as many machines as required a fix together and when sufficient numbers have been gathered, call in a technician from PH (60km away) or Aba to come into town.

The All Knowing God, after the fall of man, cursed the ground and said man must toil henceforth you make a living. From then on work was generated as a result of a lack of one thing or another and the ability to provide a solution to any problem became a job for any who cared to offer it. The town was filled with many talented but jobless youths who milled around all day long hoping a politician or any well to do individual would pass by and hand them a few notes to filter away on frivolities. The opportunities begging to be satisfied like a technician to service the community went unanswered and poverty visited the youths of the town savagely because they shut their eyes to opportunities designed to bless them, leaving strangers to reap where they ought to have been blessed.

May God open our eyes to see the blessings sitting right under our noses.