HOW THINGS GET LOST 1- LACK OF DISCRETION
I was in my first year at university. Back then, SIM cards were quite costly, and airtime recharge could only be done by buying cards. I eventually squeezed a SIM out of my card and got a Samsung phone that only works when an earpiece is attached from my childhood friend—my initiation into being a “big boy.”
However, this big boy would still need the community support of ‘big uncles and aunts’ to recharge his line. One day, I got a call from my Mum’s Aunt as I was entering the library. It was a miracle. She wanted to send me a thousand five-hundred-naira card. That was gold in the early 2000s.
Because she could not send it as a text, she called and asked me to write it down. After writing it down, she said I should call it back to her. I did. By the time I got to where I sat in the library so I could load this miracle, the network provider kept saying, “This card has been used”.
I called ‘Big Mummy’ back. She confirmed the digits. I tried and tried. The card was already used. It was then it struck me, “Temi, you called out the numbers at the entrance of the OAU library”. I was not smart enough.
One of the ways people lose things spiritually is the lack of discretion. There is an inability to manage information. If things will last with you, you must understand the wisdom of information management.
Information is a weapon of war. This is why nations have units that gather information called “Intelligence”. When intelligence is poor, warfare becomes hard. When intelligence is false, casualties can be high. When you have superior intelligence, you can outsmart your adversaries. For example, Elisha had the supernatural ability to gather information that saved the nation in warfare. The enemies came after Elisha. Why? Information is key.
When Saul met Samuel, he told him two major things: the missing donkeys have been found, and you will be the King of Israel. When he returned and his uncle asked him about what Prophet Samuel said, what did Saul say?
I Samuel 10:15-16 NKJV
[15] And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.” [16] So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.
Tell people ONLY what concerns them. Be discreet. When you sense a check in your heart, hold your tongue. Be careful in seasons when you are excited. You may say more than necessary. Many have lost connections and relationships because they talk about everything that happened in private. They lack discretion. It is not all private dealings that must be publicly shared. Be discreet.
temilOluwa Ola, Eruwa