ABANDONED PROJECT ?

by Glory Udoh

The article below was published in January 2021 on her blog.

As we look around us every day, we see ruins of abandoned projects: houses left uncompleted, business buildings abandoned due to lack of funds. Several projects initiated in our homes and organizations took up with speed and zeal. Along the way, due to mostly lack of in-depth planning or lack of funds or fear, the projects were abandoned or aborted, never to be completed.

How many projects have you started and abandoned halfway in your life? I have had some and as a result, have some regrets in my life. There are so many people now living in regret because they did not finish school. So many people are stagnated in a particular position because they failed to complete some essential training that would have led to their promotion. Some who were laid off during this covid period can attest to the fact that they would have remained in their jobs if they went the extra mile to obtain an additional certificate that would have made them more relevant in their place of work and hard to let go.

Why so many unfulfilled dreams and abandoned projects? Excuses, fear of the unknown, refusing to take risks! In Genesis 11:3, a man named Terah left his home country (Ur) with his family to go to Canaan as instructed by God. He did the right thing by obeying God and left with his family, but came to Haran and settled there instead of Canaan. Is Haran the land that God promised him? NO, but he settled in Haran (a transit land) and finally died there without reaching the promised land (his goal). What a tragedy!

God, who always fulfills His word because He can never lie, told Abraham (Terah’s son) in Genesis chapter 12, ”leave your present location (Haran) and go to the land I will show you” just as he instructed his father (Terah). Life may sap the last drop of your energy, make you live in disillusionment, but God never forgets his promise to his children. Abraham left and refused to settle. He decided to complete the project his father abandoned which is to reach their goal (the promised land). Like his father, he journeyed blindly not knowing the destination but choosing to trust God for every step. Step by step, he finally reached the promised land that his father could not reach (Canaan). A land flowing with milk and honey. Please remember, if you do not leave good, better will not come and if you do not leave better, best will never come your way. Take the risk today for a better tomorrow!

This is January, and we have all started our individual journey. We have set things in motion that may never be reversed. Some of us have made new year resolutions, initiated some projects, or decided to resurrect the ones we buried or abandoned. I assure you that there will be different stressors: distractions, financial stress, family responsibilities, ill health, and negative comments from family members, friends, and colleagues. Will you reach your goals this year or will you allow instant gratification to derail you from your ultimate goal? Terah found a beautiful city that offered temporary security, food, emotional stability, housing, etc., but he forgot that he was in transit.

Please never settle for second best. You are a priceless jewel in the hands of God, your creator. Do not settle for that abusive relationship, or that draining job, move on to your promised land! Stop listening to distractors, stop blaming your parents and situations. God has not forgotten your address nor your name and he wants you to get back into the game. Get up and move! Go back and register in that school or that trade now, not tomorrow! I attempted registering for my master’s program 3 times before I finally went in. Each year, excuses will surface: “Have you forgotten that you are a single mom? How will you cope with raising the children? Who will pay your mortgage and bills? Who will take the children to extracurricular activities? Your kids will become wayward because you are not there for them. You know the school is very expensive, how will you pay for it? Student loan? You know you are working part-time and you cannot work all your shifts now because you need more time for full-time study. So how will you cope financially? You will go bankrupt!” These and many more negative thoughts made me abandon my dream for three years. Then one day, it dawned on me that my financial situation did not get better within the three years and there were some jobs I loved and could have applied for, but lacked the degree.

It suddenly occurred to me that circumstances may never get better. If I’m waiting for things to be perfect in my life before I enroll in school, then I will only be deceiving myself because it may not. Ecclesiastes 11:4 said “farmers who wait for perfect weather, will never plant.” So I decided to trust God like father Abraham. I silenced all the negative voices in my head and registered by faith. Faith here does not mean the elimination of my fears, but rather, me choosing to work through my fears while trusting God to eliminate the obstacles as I go. It was a rough two years. Sleepless nights, financial difficulties, but God saw me through. Working part-time, schooling full time, taking care of my kids and meeting my financial obligations! How this happened? I don’t know, but God did it for me because He is a miracle-working God!

If God did it for me, He will do it for you too. Don’t be the Jack-of-all-trades and master of none. Pick one thing this year and dedicate yourself to working on it until it becomes a reality. God wants you to succeed and He is committed to equipping you with all it takes to achieve that dream or goal of yours this year. Pick up that abandoned project and complete it for tomorrow waits for no man. The clock is ticking away and so is your life. Make haste now while the sun is still shining, and God will give you the grace to finish strong.

Glory Udoh ( MSN, BSN, RN) — Clinical Coordinator in Home Care Saskatoon in Saskatchewan Health Authority, Canada; Director of the Favored Ones International (a ministry for single moms); A teacher of the Word and blogger.

To pre-order Glory’s new book “Redefine Your Identity”, email her at glokuf@yahoo.com