SUCCESS WITHOUT SUCCESSOR IS NO SUCCESS
 |
| Image (Painting) ©: Demi Ojosipe-Isaac |
This was the title of my charge to the mixture of elites and bourgeoisie who were seated at the 70th birthday celebration of a colleague recently as chairman at the occasion. Although I was not able to say most of what I now present here at the occasion because of time constraint, I managed to present as testimony my own experience as a retired professional.
When I became 60 years old, I started planning to retire from my active medical laboratory practice at age 65 into the service of the Almighy God. I chose the most competent among my laboratory scientists and told him my plan to give him a share in the business. So I started grooming him with the aim of making him a director five years later. He complied very well but just near the end of the five years, he resigned and left for another job perhaps for greater opportunities. The young man died a while later, so there was no possible reconciliation. I became too angry to trust another successor to my business especially as none of my own children too was prepared to step into my shoes. So eventually, I sold my practice to another professional colleague and faced my pastoral calling squarely.
When I was nearing age 70, it was becoming time to hand over the administration of the center of my church which I pioneered to a younger pastor in accordance with the church policy. So I prayed to God for the right successor to my position and God helped me prepare a young man who later took my position, while I retired at 70 as 'pastor emeritus'. Today, the church center is running successfully to the glory of God.
Jesus Christ the Messiah of the world came and established His Father's kingdom here on earth. Within a time frame of three and a half years, He had chosen and nurtured twelve crude followers into maturity as His disciples who carried on His work after He went back to His rightful place in Heaven. He is still highly revered today because He left behind successors to His ministry who also left behind them chosen disciples to succeed them in perpetuating the kingdom of The Father on earth. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2Timothy2:2). So it is till this day.
Even nature teaches succession. One Yoruba adage says, "Bi'ná bá kú, a feérú bo'jú; b'ogędę bà kú, a f'omo rè rópò", meaning "Fire dies but leaves behind ashes; the banana tree dies but leaves behind it's young". Levi Strauss first made denim jeans in 1829; now, thanks to succession, almost everyone wears denim blue jeans! Hear this: 'After Strauss’s death in 1902, leadership of the company passed to four nephews and, after 1918, to in-laws, the Haas family. The company’s most spectacular growth occurred from 1946...' Arthur Guinness's stout brewery founded in 1759 is still alive today because other Guinnesses always succeeded him till now. Such is the power of succession!
©OO-I.
Olusegun Ojosipe-Isaac
MIRIAM (From Grass To Grace)
MIRIAM is a transformation account. It is the story of the refinement of a plain village girl from a raw to high quality, from crude to top grade purity.
Comments
Post a Comment