DISTRACTED (II)

 Daniel’s mouth dropped in wonder. He’s been sitting beside the man who had the biggest telecommunication company in Africa.

“Sir…” was all he could mutter.

The man smiled, “and you are?”

“D… D... Daniel. Daniel Peters ss... Sir”

“Nice meeting you Daniel"

He was still dumbstruck. This is one man he and his friends had always talked about and is a role model to them. He had written over 15 business books and they had read 10 of his books. It was a pact they made amongst themselves. They practically made him their god when it came to business. They had watched all of his videos they could lay hands on on the net where he attended business meetings and gave speeches. They were especially interested in him because he made it at 22, without being born with a silver spoon and without any form of connects whatsoever, he made his way to the top. He was a major force that pulled them to the success line and they hoped to meet him one day. They were able to secure a meeting with him one time, but unfortunately, he couldn’t meet with them. They were so disappointed that as they received the call while on their way to his office, they didn’t say a word to each other as they turned the car and went back to their places of abode.

These scenarios and more when he and his friends always discussed him were playing in his head. He wondered how he didn’t notice the man since.

“Are you there?” the man asked waving across Daniel’s face as he jerked back to reality with a gasp.

                “Sir, you’ve been a huge motivation to my friends and I. We’ve read most of your books and watched all your videos we could find. We were supposed to meet some months back but you couldn’t make it again”

"Oh, it was you guys, I'm sorry. I'd have gotten back to you but I didn't recollect I had a meeting when I got back. It was my daughters' matriculation at Harvard and it had skipped my mind, all thanks to her mother who is so patient and understanding. She was the one who reminded me. I don't joke with my family so I had to cancel. But if you guys can reach out to my secretary again, I believe we could set up another meeting. But most importantly, I don't joke with my relationship with God"

Daniel gave a little frown, "I thought you merely talked about God whenever you give speeches. We didn't believe you have time for God, I mean, seeing how big a businessman you are, we're talking about a business that spans across Africa here"

Mr. Frank smiled, “I get that a lot. I don’t see why it is hard for people to believe you can be comfortably rich, and your relationship with God would be intact as well”

Daniel's eyeballs popped out again, "Comfortably rich??? Sir, if you say you're comfortably rich, then I must be a poor wretched young guy. I just started making my millions and I thought I had arrived. But here is a man who is amongst Forbes list of 100 richest businessmen in Africa calling himself comfortably rich, you recently moved to number 42 from number 50 a couple of months ago”

Mr. Frank was taken aback and genuinely surprised, "I'm wowed. You guys did your findings uhn? Even I don’t know what number I fall in”

Daniel could only stare in wonder and he shook his head and said, “You bet we did”

“You know, the fact that the world thinks we have money doesn’t mean we are going to stop working because if we did, the money would stop rolling in. But I’m sure it's not how I made it you're after. You're more interested in what I'm doing right now. Since you accused me, let me also ask? Are you an atheist?”

“No” he chuckled.

“That’s good to hear. Your name gave you away though. Do you have a relationship with God?”

Daniel hesitated, shrugged his shoulders, and replied, "I guess"

“You guess?”

“I mean, I pray once in a while, I read my Bible when I get the time, and I attended church……” he was trying very hard to remember when.

Mr. Frank shook his head.

"I got to where I was today when I found God. I didn't plan to be one of the richest businessmen. Don't get me wrong. I wanted to be comfortably rich. Hence my use of the word. I say it not because I'm trying to be humble, but because I don't want the money getting into my head. Money has a destructive spirit. When you start having more than enough, and you can afford anything you want and still have leftovers to chop life as you guys call it, if you're not careful, something else that's not God creeps in. You start seeing the need to set God aside because you have no more prayer points. It's especially bad when that's all you go to church for. When you get it, you elope with your money. That's the mistake most so-called believers make. They put their needs before their fellowship with God. It's not just in the area of money. Some need life partners, but they don't know God personally and expect God to give them God-fearing partners. When he knows he can't trust you with them, he can't give you. Some needs scholarship, but they don't get it, not because God is bad. But he wants them to be close to him so when they finally get what they want, they'd not forget him" he paused to sip water and continued, but not after studying Daniel's countenance, thereby making sure he was driving his point home.

But he seemed impatient. He couldn’t wait for Mr. Frank to continue.

“I didn’t want to have too much money because I felt excess money drags people away from God. Solomon for example, the Bible says no one has ever amounted to Solomon's wealth before he lived and after he lived. I didn't want to be like him. But my pastor told me that I can be almost as rich as Solomon and not miss it with God. I just need to follow the sequence in Matt 6:33. Do you have a Bible app on your phone?”

Daniel looked like he was given vinegar to drink. He looked down at his feet as he remembered what he did to the Bible app he had. He deleted it to download a gaming app they said was good for the brain, a game that'd increase your IQ. He didn't have the space for the app, and as he scanned his phone, he discovered his other apps were too important to be uninstalled, and he decided the Bible app had to go since he had a hard copy Bible which he hadn't opened in months. He had the softcopy Bible because he could read it while on transit. Seeing the app made him read it once in a while, but since he uninstalled the app, he didn't have access to reading the Bible anymore.

"I understand," Mr. Frank said as he brought out his Bible, gave it to Daniel to open and read.

“But seek ye…”

“No, start from 32. It should be from verse 25 but I have a schedule I’m running with so let’s just take it from 32. I still have to pray for one more hour before we get to London."

Daniel looked at him like he was suspecting something.

“Read”

“(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things… But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you… Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil therefore”

"It's not the first time you'll hear someone quote that scripture. But have you paid attention to it? Most especially the seek ye first part. Seeking God should come first before any other thing. F-I-R-S-T! Even after getting what you want, still, put Him first. I work 24 hours, 7 days a week. The fact that I have people looking after my business all over the continent doesn’t mean I can then sit down to rest. Because if I do, they’ll ruin me. But I am never too busy to pray, if I am not chanced to sit to study, I listen to audio Bible. My air pods always in my ears are not just for calls. Sometimes, I'm listening to an audio from an e-book. Like the one I was reading. In whatever I do, I make sure I don't lose my communication with him. I don't see myself not being consistent with these things. I confess it every morning asides from my business confession. You must have missed that part in my speeches. I never forget to mention it"

For the first time after months, Daniel paid attention to the vacuum he had always felt. He was happy he was making it. But deep down somewhere, he knew he was missing something. But he hadn’t created the time to search for what it was. He was deep in thought when he heard Mr. Frank continue.

"I thought Paul when talking to me when he told Timothy in 2^nd Timothy 6:6-11 that ‘Bug godliness with contentment is great gain… For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out… And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content… But they that will be rich fall into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition… For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows… But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness”

Daniel coiled in his chair like a child that had just been scolded, his eyes were teary.

"You're a fine young man. You have a bright future ahead of you, and I know you know that. It's too early for you to lose God. It's too early to stray away. I wanted to stand out as one of the believers who don't lose it after making money. That's what others believe. They believe a Christian shouldn't make money because it pulls them away from God. You can have money, make it big, and still be with God. Just do not let the love of money consume you. And even in your hustle for money, don’t forget to always put God first. He is more interested in your heart and your fellowship with him than how much you make. No one is saying money is not to be made. Make it, plenty of it. But don't, D-O-N-O-T be too entangled in your search for it that you neglect the Lord your God".

Daniel was sobbing like a baby at this point.

***

I leave it to you to complete the story. Give it whatever ending you want, and let us know in the comment.