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We can never fully understand God
There are things we cannot understand as human beings. How do you explain a lady who has led a promiscuous lifestyle and yet gets a very good husband and marries easily, while a devoted Christian lady who has led a holy life is still struggling to find a man to marry?
A pastor who is genuinely called by God lives a life that is evidently Christian in every sense of the word, yet remains childless. The painful thing is that he prays for people who are seeking the fruit of the womb, and they get pregnant and have their prayers answered.
How do you explain this?
A woman gives birth to a single child, who grows up to become a Minister of State. Then, one fine day, he is involved in an air crash and dies. The family’s prominent member, the only child of his mother, is gone just like that.
This then causes the mind to dwell on the Scripture in Romans 11:33: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
A pastor once preached about an incident that occurred in the United States. According to this well-renowned preacher, he was invited to preach in a church, but a few days before the appointed time, he received a call from the host pastor informing him of some terrible news.
The host pastor narrated how two of his prominent leaders, who were deeply involved in publicising the scheduled programme of the visiting preacher and inviting people from door to door to attend, had been involved in a gruesome accident. On their way to invite people at some addresses, a vehicle crashed into them at an intersection, killing them instantly.
The visiting preacher then asked the host pastor, “So what do you want me to do? Do you want me to pray, exhort, or will you tell me what to do? I will do it.”
The host pastor replied that he would pray about it and call him back. He called him later and said, “Pastor, you are not going to believe this. There is a revival.”
The host pastor went on to narrate what had brought about the revival. The wives of the two men came to him and said, “Please take us to where the accident occurred because we want to continue what our husbands started.”
The pastor was reluctant at first, having visited the scene earlier and seen the wreckage and blood. He felt that the sight would unsettle the women. However, they were insistent, so the host pastor reluctantly obliged.
At the scene, they searched through the wreckage and picked out a couple of cards bearing the addresses their husbands had intended to visit before their untimely deaths.
They then went to those addresses, showed the people the cards and explained that their husbands had been on their way to invite them to the programme when they lost their lives. They said they would be grateful if the people would accept their invitation to attend.
Word quickly spread, and it turned into a mass invitation.
According to the visiting pastor, when he arrived at the church, reporters were everywhere, together with a huge crowd. God had turned a tragedy into something useful for His own glory. Lives were won for Christ in numbers that ordinarily might not have been possible.
Indeed, His ways are past finding out. What we consider terrible can be turned into something beautiful by the Lord.
All we need to do is trust Him and accept the things that happen to us, if we are indeed His children, because He is a good Father who is also faithful.
No matter what we have gone through, are going through or will go through, let us rest assured that He is in control of affairs and that He shall ensure that all things work together for our good.
God bless.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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I saw a video of two young men mistreating a guy in school uniform. The manner in which a man in a white shirt was stamping on the head of the student on the ground and kicking him, was heart wrenching. It was like a scene from an action movie.
Comments in the video made me to understand that the two people engaged in the dastardly attack on the chap on the ground were teachers. How teachers who had been trained by teacher training institutions could do what they did, defies logic; simply mind boggling.
This brings the issue of screening of would-be teachers to mind. Is there a psychological vetting system in place to identify unsuitable characters like those two teachers so that they are barred from being teachers or are helped to have the right mindset as teachers? We cannot continue to let the status quo remain and expect a different result.
Digitalisation of the economy has brought in its wake a whole lot of ways that seeks to address pertinent socio-economic issues. One of them is the introduction of the TraffiTech-GH system of regulating traffic flow without human intervention.
This clearly is an innovative way of enforcing compliance which obviously would ensure discipline and therefore safety on our roads. The drivers are raising some issues which are legitimate and must be addressed as soon as possible or should I rather say immediately.
If a Bus Stop is occupied by traders and therefore the drivers cannot stop for passengers to alight or board, they would have no option than to park in the road, blocking traffic flow, which would be an offence that TraffiTech-GH would capture as a violation and punish accordingly, by imposing a fine.
A very sad incident occurred last week resulting in the senseless murder of an uncle and her niece in the Greater Accra Region. The story making the rounds on social media was that, the uncle took a loan from the suspected murderer but failed to honour his obligation to pay back the money.
The suspect accompanied by a lady, went to the residence in the Sakumono area and a heated argument ensued, resulting in the suspect shooting the Uncle and her niece in the process. The first question that came to mind was that “Why did they not allow patience to carry the day?” If it is true that the uncle indeed owed the man, he ought to have maintained a certain demeanor that portrayed a willingness to pay the money and not to enrage the suspect in any way.
Again, if someone owes you, you do not take the law into your hands by going to confront him with a loaded gun in your pocket. The proliferation of small arms must be given serious attention.
The leaders in the educational sector need to sit up to address the misbehaviour of both students and teachers, especially the teachers who have been sexually harassing students. The fallout, in the recent Obuasi Senior High School (SHS) issue, has been an official statement directing teachers not to ask students to work in their bungalows.
This code has been in the books of the Ghana Education Service (GES) all this while. It is nothing new and so like everything else in this country, the issue is not the lack of laws but the enforcement. What I find surprising is that after breaking this code of ethics, the GES has not sacked the notorious Headmaster who evidence has been established beyond reasonable doubt that he had grossly flouted this regulation, repeatedly. This is a gross failure on the part of leadership, from the ministry level down to the school level. This must not be allowed to repeat itself. God bless.
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Implant-based reconstruction recovery
Implant reconstruction is generally less invasive during the initial phase, allowing for a quicker return to baseline daily activities.
Initial healing window: Most patients resume light, non-strenuous daily tasks within 2 to 4 weeks.
Activity Restrictions: Heavy lifting, intense upper-body exercises, and high-impact movements are typically restricted for four to six weeks to allow the chest tissues to secure the implant or expander.
The expansion phase: If a temporary tissue expander is used, recovery includes periodic office visits over several months where the surgeon gradually adds sterile fluid to stretch the skin.
Physical therapy focus: Gentle arm and shoulder stretches begin early to prevent stiffness, frozen shoulder, and tight scar tissue formation around the implant pocket.
Autologous (Tissue-Based) reconstruction recovery
Autologous reconstruction (such as a DIEP flap) is a more complex, major operation because it involves two distinct surgical sites: the reconstructed chest mound and the donor harvest area (usually the lower abdomen).
Initial healing window: Requires a hospital stay of two to five days, with an overall recovery period of six to eight weeks before resuming normal routines.
Donor site management: Because abdominal muscles or tissues are involved, patients must avoid bending, twisting, or lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk for at least six weeks to protect the deep facial repairs.
Mobility milestones: Recovery starts with short, gentle indoor walks immediately after surgery to promote circulation and prevent blood clots, gradually building up distance each week.
Physical therapy focus: Postural retraining and cautious core re-engagement once the surgeon gives medical clearance, ensuring the abdominal wall heals securely without strain.
Essential rehabilitation practices
Regardless of the chosen surgical path, effective physical therapy incorporates specialised techniques to restore physical freedom:
Scar mobilisation: Professional massage techniques to soften surgical scars and prevent tight binding of underlying tissues.
Lymphatic drainage: Gentle massage protocols to reduce swelling and encourage fluid movement through the lymphatic pathways.
Let’s pull together everything we have talked about into one simple, easy-to-understand guide.
Here is a summary of the complete journey-from understanding what breast cancer is and busting myths, to managing emotions and navigating surgery and recovery.
1. Is surgery a “cure”?
What it means: A mastectomy (removing the breast) is a powerful tool to take out the local tumor, but it isn’t an automatic, guaranteed cure on its own.
The Example: Think of it like pulling a weed out of a garden. You got the main plant out, but if tiny seeds or roots already spread elsewhere in the soil, you still need extra care (like medication) to make sure they don’t grow back.
2. The cancer’s “personality” (Biomarkers)
What it means: Not all breast cancers are the same. Doctors test the cancer cells for specific “locks and labels” (like hormones or proteins) to figure out how fast they grow and what medicine will stop them.
The Example: It’s like figuring out what kind of fuel a car engine takes (gasoline, diesel, or electricity) so you know exactly how to fix or run it.
3. Busting common myths
The Reality: Many rumors about breast cancer are false.
Men can get breast cancer too (about one per cent of cases) because everyone has a small amount of breast tissue.
Most lumps are harmless (like a harmless pebble in your shoe, not a dangerous nail).
Underwire bras and deodorants do not cause cancer.
Most people diagnosed (about 85 per cent) have no family history of it, which is why regular checks are vital for everyone.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
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