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You are the miracle
Have you ever felt like you needed a miracle? In the midst of calamities global and local, shared, and private, we wish we could change the world; or at least some small part of it, but big problems can make us feel insignificant or powerless to help.
What can we do when it feels like it would take a miracle to make a difference? Perhaps the answer lies in something a theologian and physician, Albert Schweitzer once said: “Do something wonderful, people may imitate it.”
The fact is that ordinary people do wonderful things all over the world. At the Korle Bu Teaching hospital, private individuals renovate wards and theatres to save lives. At the Accra Psychiatric Hospital at Asylum Down, compassionate people deliver food items such as rice, oil and also clothing to the inmates who have run out of food. And in orphanages across the country, volunteers teach while others provide food and essentials to the children in those facilities, helping them prepare for success in their new home. There are various examples of people serving others which is catching on and spreading across the globe.
What might happen if you tried doing some small, wonderful things? It is possible that your kindness, generosity of spirit, or simply your willingness to help others could spread beyond the person you set out to bless; it may also touch others in your family, among your friends, and in your community. Just as a seed grows into something much bigger than itself, your act of kindness might make a difference much greater than you expected. That would be a miracle.
When we refuse to get entangled in a social media argument or quarrel, when we stop what we’re doing and listen to someone who’s anxious or distressed, when we reach out to someone who’s alone, when we say something encouraging or hopeful any act of kindness can be contagious. Even a smile and a compliment can catch on. And once people try being kind, they often feel so good, they continue it. We never really know how far-reaching each of these small acts of love can be.
God is a God of miracles. He often does intervene to bless His children. And it may be that the next miracle He has in mind will start with you. So, when you find yourself thinking it would take a miracle to change the world for the better, consider being that miracle.
Every year during the Christmas holiday season, we ponder the miracle of the Christmas story. And it certainly is a miraculous story; with angelic visions, a King born in a stable, and a bright new star in the sky. But do miracles belong only to stories from history, or do they still happen today? If one were to look for modern miracles, perhaps there’s no better place to look than this magical time of year, the Christmas season.
Miracles take many forms, of course, and many of them are subtle and quiet. But who can say that miracles of forgiving and trusting others, of exercising faith in the face of despair and doubt, are less powerful than a visit from an angel?
Consider, for example, the Christmas miracle of reaching out to a long-lost friend. Recently, one man was determined to find again a dear friend he had not seen in more than 25 years. They now lived thousands of miles apart, but when business took the man near his friend’s town, he drove two hours to try to meet him. Sadly, he wasn’t home, but the man was able to get his phone number, and they finally were able to talk with each other for the first time in decades. What a joyous reunion! They reconnected, they wondered why they had let so much time go by, and they committed to stay in touch.
Christmas is a time for reconnecting—with family, with friends, and with God. It is a time to rekindle faith, and that’s what makes Christmas such a miraculous season. After all, a miracle is an act of faith. And faith is so much more than wishful and positive thinking. Faith is loving, giving, and gathering in the face of opposition; faith is celebrating in the midst of heartache; faith is enjoying the wonder of this season even when life may not seem very wonderful.
Do angels still appear at Christmas time? Yes, and you and I can be the angel. In a simple but very real way, we can be the bright star that guides weary travellers with heavenly light and love, with renewed friendship and faith. What miracle could be more precious at Christmas time?
By Samuel Enos Eghan
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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