This is the story of a man named Ephesus. A very wealthy farmer who lost his wife few years back . Ever since then, life hasn’t been the same for Ephesus. He was so unstable, disorganized, heartbroken. He uses every dime he gets from work on alcohol; to drink away his sorrow.

Ephesus and his wife, Annabel were happily married and strong in faith. But he lost it when he lost his wife. He blamed God for his lose.. He remembered how he prayed so hard for his sick wife, He blamed himself as well and wished he was more to his late wife.

“Hey! It’s late. Go home! Shameless drunkard” The janitor of the bar said.

After a drunk night, Ephesus fell asleep. He dreamed he was walking along the beach. He looked up to the sky. Across the sky was a bright light that flashes the scene from his life. For each scene, he noticed two set of footprints in the sand, one belonging to him and the other to God.
When the last scene of his life flashes before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life, there was only one set of footprints. He noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest time of his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned God about it…

“God, you said once I decide to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troubled times in my life, I saw one set of footprints. You always leave, when i needed you the most.

God said ” My Beloved Child, I love you and would never leave you. During times of trial and suffering, when you see a set of footprints, it was then I carried you. You gave up on your faith, you gave up on me, yet I keep on loving you. Listen! Your wife’s death wasn’t a product mishap that caught me unawares. Annabel is doing very well and she sends her regards.”

Ephesus fell on his kneels, buried his face in palm and cried aloud.

I need you to wake up Ephesus! Give your life a fresh start. Stop thinking of your failure, think from it.

“I tried God! I can’t…” Ephesus wailed out.

Yes you can! I trust you too much to give up now, keep the ideal in your heart as you walk along the street of the real world, look at the road. What condition is it in? How might the state of the road reflect the state of your life? Are there pot holes? Are there major repairs been carried out already? Or is the road comfortable for other to walk through?
There is more real purpose beyond the purpose you see -Another purpose, a better purpose. A God kind of purpose, a God-sized purpose.

Ochei R. Chidinma.