Embracing Resilience: Lessons from the Tongue and Teeth Relationship
Despite the love of the tongue for the teeth, which produces saliva to keep the teeth lubricated and fresh, it has not stopped the teeth from biting the tongue and leaving it bleeding with injury. Though the tongue might feel pained, it never will commit to leaving the oral cavity because that is its space until they both die. When the injury inflicted on the tongue is raw, it accommodates the pain when tasting spicy foods. It will not stop it from producing saliva and also assist the teeth in performing their fiduciary duties. After a while, the tongue gets healed, and the relationship is restored.
From the analogy above, when confidants who should know you better decide to label, blackmail, or profile you or, in the extreme, bite and inflict pain on you because they see you as the reason for their misfortunes or conflicts, pleading your innocence is no use because they have made up their minds. The more you want to rationalize your integrity, the more entrenched they become. Why not behave like the tongue by finding a way to accommodate what you can without changing who you are or damaging your health?
What are you going through that seems excruciatingly painful to bear or to put behind you? What was the offense of Jesus Christ that led to the hatred and eventual crucifixion on the cross? If a sinless Son of God could be implicated for what he did not do and betrayed by his trusted aide and exchequer, why do you think confidants would not label or profile you? That could be your cross for the moment. Please, carry it with equanimity and weep not.
Just like the tongue has no control over what the teeth will do to it, you also have no control over whom they say you are, but you have control over how you behave, not to be run over by the friends and accomplices of those who see you as the devil incarnate.
Leave them because they know no better. Do not chase who said what or did whatever they accused you of doing that you know nothing about because the answers lie with them, not you.
Do not die over what you do not have control over. If the situation requires prayers, pray. If it requires forgiveness, forgive. If you cannot ignore them, let go and do no harm to them so that you do not have blood-stained hands. If it requires action, take it. If it requires silence, give it. If you do not know what to do, use the Warri slang, “LEFAM,” for God, the creator of heaven and earth, who will avenge the ill against you someday.
Remember that anybody that steals in the marketplace and hides the hand with the stolen goods behind the back shall sooner or later pay for the betrayal of trust.
As you read this post, Obi, Atiku, Tinubu, Kwakwanso, et al. have been betrayed by those they did well to in the past. Do not be surprised that those who betrayed them are tonight drinking and dining with their competitors, and in the morning, crawl back to the guys they have betrayed for more daily bread without shame. They call it politics. I call it disloyalty lady with treason. At times, the guys involved in the treachery could be blooded relations. Should that make them look back? No.
To live long, focus on what you think could give you longevity and improve your tomorrow. Build coping strategies and focus on preventing your heart of hearts from quavering.
Concentrating on the hurts done to you would kill you many times before the natural death. leave them to their conscience. As you go to bed tonight, think of all the good things that have happened to you. Live them all over again and wake up fresher and better in the morrow. May your days be long! Amen
Grace and peace!!!