HELLO MI NEIGHBOUR | The sky’s NOT the limit!

Hello mi neighbour!

“Don’t despise anyone and if anyone despises you, don’t let it bother you; don’t take it to heart.”

Words of wisdom from someone who was despised and did not allow the despisal to dispose of him. To the displeasure of many, this champion later became a great source of inspiration and strength to millions who were despised, dispossessed and disposed of.

So, if you have been despised and even found yourself on the dump heap of life today, hold your head up high and start reaching for the sky. Heaven will smile on you!

Some of the most successful people, dead and alive today, were once castaways. With the right attitude and the grace of the Almighty, there narratives have made bestsellers! Talk about ‘sell aff’.

Joey was about 17 years of age when his worries began. But “no worries”. Unbeknown to him was that this tragedy would have plummeted him to greatness some 17 years later. This young man had an ambitious night dream. When he innocently shared this dream with his brothers, they all despised him.

Of course, we all have and share dreams. Usually, you and I have nothing to do with the content of these dreams. One has to be crazy to blame another person for dreaming crazy and disturbing dreams while asleep!

The reaction of the brothers to Joey’s dream was one of silent despisal. Because they apparently thought that the dream reflected an ambition to rule over them someday, they plotted to kill him and this ambition. But why? Well, “the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” Be careful of those thoughts you allow to grow in that heart of yours. Disaster awaits!

Some of the wickedness being unleashed on our society is being blamed on childhood abuse, poverty, disenfranchisement of certain rights and privileges in the formative years of present-day wrong-doers! Well, while that may play a part, it must be borne in mind that criminal activities/behaviours are a matter of choice. The reality is, once we mature into thinking decision-makers, we become responsible for the decisions we make and are legally answerable to the higher authority for those decisions.

What is our preference? Punishment or praise? We decide. Some acts are praiseworthy, and some are ‘penaltyworthy’. ‘Penaltyworthy’ acts normally attract severe pain and out-of-reach legal fees while praiseworthy acts always attract great rewards. Wake up guys! Do the right thing!

Back to Joey. Undecided on how they could blamelessly kill Joey and his dream, the dawg-hearted brothers decided to sell him into slavery. That’s another story. His tearful and fearful plea for mercy fell on dead, deaf ears.

Not allowing the rejection and disposal by his siblings to negatively impact him, he charmed the heart of his new master who gave him a coveted job in his mansion. See, with the right attitude and the blessings of the Almighty, the sky is no limit!

After a few attempts by the wife of his master, to seduce this young man failed, out of frustration she despised him, and falsified a report that he tried to rape her. These lies, without trial, landed Joey in lockup. Still, he did not allow these circumstances to break his stride or become bitter. Again, in prison, his attitude, plus divine blessings, created a leadership role for him.

Joey, still not allowing bitterness or rejection to stymie his success, when released from prison, on the basis of his attitude and his talent, in time was elevated to second in command in the leadership of his new country. Yes, that’s a true success story. What have you learnt here and and what will you now do?

“Don’t despise anyone and if anyone despises you, don’t let it bother you; don’t take it to heart.” Move out, move on, move up! Help is always available from Up Top.

HELP US HELP A NEIGHBOUR WITH ITEMS BELOW:

1. Stove, bed, mattress, building materials sewing machine, table, chairs, second-hand settee etc.

To help, please call Silton Townsend @ 876 884-3866, or deposit in acct # 351 044 276 NCB. Alternatively, send donations to Hello Neighbour C/o 53 Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston 10; PayPal/credit card: email: zicron22@yahoo.com. Contact email: helloneighbour@yahoo.com. Visit hellomineighbourja.blogspot.com.

Townsend exclusively manages the collections and distributions mentioned in this column and is neither an employee nor agent of The Gleaner.