The Precious Gift of Men

Men are keys and doors, and they serve as ladders for one another to rise.

Life is like a race—a race that we can’t ‘journey on’ alone. As long as we live, we will need people.

We are God’s precious gifts and blessings to each other. I realized this better in my hardened quest to reach a milestone while in a race with my friends on one fateful day.

The race had just begun, and the road seemed so foggy that we were unable to see the potential roadblocks in our way for a very smooth race and to figure out how we would get past them before we reached there.

‘Hmmm.’ This race sure appears challenging. The Tallest, Wisest, Seer, Strongest, and Fastest are the other five competitors in this race with me. The six of us, view ourselves as rivals, with each of us hoping to emerge as the Winner.

“Are you ready?” The referee asked as he gave each of us a map that would guide us on the journey. He asked again, after giving us the map, “Are you ready?!”

We replied, “Yes!” as we got fully set to begin the race on this foggy road.

At the sound of the whistle, we all ran as fast as we could into the fog. We hadn’t even gotten far when we all fell, except for the seer.

How did we fall? There was an iron hurdle, unknown to us, inside the foggy road that blocked our path. It was only the Seer who could see it, so he knew it was not about being too fast but being careful and sensitive to the obstacles on the road.

At this point, we saw that we needed each other to complete this journey successfully, and then we went back to the start-up line with the Seer meeting

up with us. We stopped seeing each other as competitors but as a team. We held each other’s hands as the seer directed us on the right routes to pass in order to scale through the iron hurdles and avoid falling.

After overcoming the iron hurdles in the foggy area, we came across a very high fence that restricted us from entering the other road that also led to our destination. The fence was so high, and there was no ladder for us to climb it. If only we could climb this fence, we would be on the right track—according to the map—to finishing the race. We all noticed that the head of the Tallest was almost at the same level as the top of the fence, so, clearly, he was the only one among us who could scale the fence if he wished to.

We enlisted his help, climbing his back one after the other to be able to jump over the high fence. He served as the ladder we didn’t have.

As we moved forward, beholding the beautiful view of the road on the other side of the fence, we rested a bit, for we were tired. Together, we hunted for animals we could eat to sate our hunger and regain our strength to continue the journey.

After eating, we stood up to continue the journey. This time around, we came across a river that would lead us to a deep forest, which happened to be another route to the finish line. This was quite easy for us, as we all knew how to swim, except for the Fastest and Strongest who could not swim. The Tallest, however, helped the Strongest to swim to the other side, while I helped the Fastest to swim to the other side.

We eventually arrived at the deep forest, where wild animals dwelled. We became very wary of wild animals. As we advanced slowly while observing the forest, we came across a wild animal with a loud, deep sound that scared us. We have never seen such a scary creature before. It was a very black and ugly creature, and quite huge too.

Out of fear, we all ran as fast as we could. But this animal also seemed to be very fast. Thanks to the Strongest, who caught it by its mouth when it nearly caught one of us. The Strongest struggled with it, using his strength, like ‘The Samson’ to kill it. Having slayed it, we ran out of the forest successfully to the dry land.

On the dry land, there was a long horizontal bridge with a wide steel door that blocked us from passing through. In order to pass through this bridge, we needed to solve a puzzle that would automatically open the door of the bridge for us. The puzzle seemed quite difficult to answer after each attempt. We spent so much time there trying to solve the puzzle.

“I have gotten it!” said Wisest in excitement from behind, coming to try again after failing in his first attempt. This time around, he got the answer correctly, and then the door of the bridge opened for us.

Outside the door is a road that is smooth with no obstacles but long, as the Seer foresaw. The Seer also foresaw that it led to the finish line. The moment we heard that it led to the finish line, we all, except for Wisest, out of excitement, ran to reach the finish line.

We ran and ran and ran, but discovered that despite how fast we ran, we were not even approaching the finishing line at all. We had already exhausted ourselves by running so fast to get to the finishing line as soon as possible, ignorant of the fact that it was still long. We then lay down on the ground to rest in order to regain our strength.

A few minutes later, we saw the Wisest coming from afar, trekking and singing happily, still looking so strong. He didn’t appear to be as weak as we already were. Wisest, upon discovering from the Seer that the smooth road to the finishing line is very long, decided to save his strength by taking a slow pace, bit by bit, therefore rejoicing with the hope that he would still get to the finishing line successfully.

Even the Seer who foresaw it was not wise enough to see that he ought to have saved his strength. Since the road was very clear without obstacles and there was so much time, what were we running so fast for or from?

The Wisest passed us still singing and smiling, while we sat on the ground with our mouths wide open, watching him pass by. He was already getting far, leaving us behind, so we had to try to stand up once again to continue the journey.

I tried standing but could not… I was already sick and exhausted; my legs hurt. I had to beg my teammates to assist me. The Strongest then offered to help me. He piggybacked me like an infant, and I leaned on him in relief.

Together, we all walked, smiling and gisting on the road, such that we did not even know when we crossed the finishing line! Together, we completed the journey, and we won!

LESSON: “Men are keys and doors, and they serve as ladders for one another to rise”. We all play different significant roles in helping each other succeed in life’s journey. We can’t do it alone. Cherish and acknowledge every good person and relationship surrounding you. They are God’s blessing to us—the gift of men!

About the Author:

David Oletu, also known as The Eagledeye, is a young and dynamic storyteller, thought leader, and minister who is passionate about effecting positive changes in his space using his craft.

His writing prowess, cautionary tales, and words of wisdom have earned him recognition on a global stage, impacting thousands of young people. It has also made him a recipient and winner of multiple writing award categories.

People often say that he is a writer whose words are deeper than the surface of the ocean, prophetic, visionary, and highly inspiring. They also described him as that eagle standing on the mountaintop, watching the different states of men with his eyes twinkling like a night watcher, carefully observing the troubles of humanity, which seem hidden in the dark, but with his craft, he sets and creates a path to light.

He hopes that whatever written or spoken words he imparts bring clarity, hope, and balance to the minds of his audience.