Life Is A Struggle

If only life was that easy... But nope it isn't. It's hard, messy, cold, wicked, unforgiving, unbearable. And when you find some form of happiness, life takes it from you. And if it doesn't, then it takes something else.

When you think you have it all, it's makes you realise that now you have so much to loose. You struggle to become wealthy, it takes away your love. If you struggle to hold onto that love, it takes away your friend or your family. And even if you have that, then it's your health. It's always something.

Life makes sure you just never have all you need and want. It's always a struggle. Despite all the heartache and misery life throws at you, you still hold on tight. Why? Because the first and strongest primal need in every human and even animals, is the preservation of one's own life.

So keep on keeping on. Because it's not about getting there. Or whether you get there or not. You don't have a choice in the matter. You must stay alive until the time God calls you.

Don't let anyone dictate your life for you. Because, at the end of the day, even if you lived it your way, it may not bring you all the happiness you need. But it would be worse for you, if you let someone make your choices for you, which can bring about so much resentment.

By Afam Nnamdi-Okagbue

#EnjoyLife #LiveToTheFullest #SayNoToSuicide #LiveAndLetLive#SuicideWatch #LifeIsAStruggle #LiveYourLife

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The Greatest Retirement Statement of All Time (Arguably) : Living A Fulfilled Life

A lesson on appreciation, giving your best, love, humility and living a fulfilled life.

An Irish Footballer Pat Flynn aged 31 retired from Football and released a brilliant and inspiring statement to mark his retirement. See statement below.

Thanks
So I thought….. I better do a statement. I’m going to name drop a bit so please forgive me.
It gave me the chance to win All Irelands.
Never give up.
Thank you football.

Today I retire.

I didn’t want to retire but the legs don’t move like they used to and when the slowest player in the league says to me “I’ll be your legs” I knew I had to call it a day…so thanks for that Mark Rossiter.

To Kiara…….My girlfriend in my Joeys days and now my wife as I finished in Longford. You were there for it all.Thanks for your patience, understanding and keeping my feet on the ground.

Leaving for work at 8am, going straight to training and getting home at 9pm was tough…so to my kids I apologise for missing so much and look forward to spending all my time with you. If you have my passion on the pitch and your Mam’s passion in the bedroom you will excel at whatever you choose.

Big thanks to my family who helped me so much over the years. Especially my Dad, you went out of your way so much to help me, I’ll never forget that. 

To my friends who’ve been there since the start and supported me home and away, thank you. 

To my aunties and uncles who looked after me when I was clubless in England, thank you.

To all the Coaches, Managers, Physio’s and Kitmen I’ve had, and the time you put in, thank you so much.

To all my teammates….thank you for your ability to adjust to playing with 10 men most weeks.

To the referees, I apologise for the tackles and my colourful language that led to them colourful cards. My wife would like to thank you for the hundreds of Euro’s in fines I had to pay because of you. 

To the fans of Waterford thanks for making me a cult hero.

To the fans of Shels, it’s my biggest regret in my career that you got relegated when I played for you, it’s a huge club and shouldn’t be in that situation.

To the Pats fans, I got paid for doing what you do…..watching games from a bench every week. It wasn’t down to lack of trying, it was just Kenna and O’Brien were outstanding. I hope I repaid you with the Cup Final song I wrote for you.

To the Longford fans, I admire the handful of lads who follow the team everywhere they go. We had bad nights but some great ones too. It’s a great club. Thank you.

To everyone at Shamrock Rovers thank you. Friday nights and coming from my house you could see the floodlights. Pulling on the famous green and white and hearing the fans sing as you wait in the tunnel, then the teasing smell of burgers and chips as you wait for the whistle to blow. It’s what you dream of. I was just a fan that got lucky.

To the Fans of Bohs, I loved playing in Dalymount. I loved the abuse and I loved having Coke bottles hopped off my head. I didn’t like you, but I have to say I admired your passion too and I’ll miss it.

Football is the greatest game on earth and anyone who says otherwise is a lying Luther.

It gave me the chance to learn from my hero Denis Irwin everyday in training.

It gave me the chance to play in the same team as a man people say is the maddest man in football, Paul Gascoigne….this was true, until I met Boccer Bayly.

It gave me the chance to captain my country at youth level and blast out Amhrán na bhFiann.

It gave me the chance to meet the President of Ireland.

It gave me so many kicks in the balls, like relegations, injuries, missing Christmas’ and missing friends & family.

It gave me the chance to win leagues with superstars like Twigg, Bradley, Baker, Salmon and O’Sullivan.

It gave me the chance to have great friends like Stephen Rice and Pat Sullivan, classy on and off the pitch.

It gave me the chance to mark Cristiano Ronaldo from corners.

It gave me the chance to stand in a helpless wall when Del Piero stuck a free in top corner.

It gave me a chance to play against the leagues best…..Derek Pender, Glen Crowe, Jason Byrne, John O’Flynn and Christy Fagan.

It gave me the chance to play under great captains like Kenna and Murray.

It gave me a rivalry with Killian Brennan, a great player that wasn’t afraid to kick me back. I’ll miss that.

It gave me a chance to miss a peno in front of 30,000 people in Lansdowne Road.

It gave me the chance to have songs sung about me….some good, some bad.

It gave me the chance to play for all of Dublin’s big clubs.

Anyone that watches football will know I’m an average player but hard work and commitment was the reason I got all these chances. 

If I can do it anyone can.

God Has Already Answered Your Prayers

I wept when I read this. God is great!
I found it so touching
Isaiah 65:24 :- “Before they call, I will answer.”

This is a testimony written by a doctor who worked in Africa.

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities.

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.

Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). “And it is our last hot water bottle!” she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

“All right,” I said, “put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.”

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. “Please, God” she prayed, “Send us a hot water bottle today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.”

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, “And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?”

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say “Amen?” I just did not believe that God could do this.

Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be?

I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!”

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, “Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?”

“Of course,” I replied!

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.

And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it “that afternoon.”

“Before they call, I will answer.” (Isaiah 65:24) What a faithful & caring Father!
Always preparing and providing us with solutions long before we encounter the challenges of our daily lives.
We just need to call on Him in faith and the solution will be veered in our direction.
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏