I want to be His feet
Reaching the unreached
I want to be His hands
Lifting the deprived
I want to be willing and ready
When God asks, “Whom shall I send?”
I want to be the one He tells
“Well done good and faithful servant.”

What I did with my private time and resources are my business, but it went out of hand when I carried this attitude to work. It was birthed from watching unused food thrashed after meetings. I asked the stewards, “Why do you trash these when it can feed so many people?” These weren’t rich folks, but they said the organization forbade them taking away anything. I resolved to do something about it. After meetings, I would hang around and get as much as I could carry for my friends who worked in security posts within and around the office. The food was always so much that even after colleagues got their ‘to-go packs,’ there was always enough for my deliveries. I always waited for attendees who wanted to take something home, then cleared out whatever was left: everything including bottled drinks and water.

I wasn’t stupid to go scrambling for food at every meeting but whenever I saw opportunities within my organization, I took advantage of them. Opportunities come with challenges and that was no exception, but they weren’t anything unbearable. During an extensive meeting where we were lodged in the company accommodation for weeks, food and snacks were served several times in a day. The food we were served each meal was a lot I doubt any of us could hardly eat it all for each of the three meals served. That was further compounded by tons of snacks that came at tea breaks- it was a lot of food for not many of us involved on that project.

My daily “clean up and deliveries” became obvious and was not well taken by some colleagues. I heard the ladies mocked, guys taunted but nobody could say anything to my face so I could not be bothered. Some colleagues advised me to stop the deliveries because of the slander and others encouraged me to continue otherwise the leftovers would be thrown out if I didn’t take them to those who needed them. They acknowledged they couldn’t do what I do and the least they could do was to encourage me.

I was told the complaints, unbelievable! “They say you are always taking things away. That they can’t get enough to take home because you clear them out. That with all that you are taking away you are still ever so skinny. That it is bad for your reputation as a lady. That is unfit for a professional.”

The people making these complaints behind my back were being paid a lot in comparison to others around. They would eat all they want and take ‘to-go packs,’ for their friends and families, still they were complaining because I was taking out what was left behind to security men and women who worked for the same organization instead of allowing them to be thrashed. They were unhappy because I was doing something they would not do, for people who worked for us and were paid way less than the rest of us. Truly, happiness does not come from what we have and all we get.
(To be Continued September 11, 2020)

Glory!