After hugging her dad, mum, brothers and sisters, Kemi took off her shoes, put her rucksack on her back and opened the door for her journey to the Land of Promise.

As she left her house barefooted at dawn, she entered the Land of Grass also known as Greenland. While in Greenland, she felt comfortable with the ground on which she tread, as it was full of grass. She also noted that a hundred people where standing beside her when she began her journey. They provided her with moral support; some cheered her along the way while others engaged her in conversation. They were all pleased to keep her company during her journey.

Around noon, with the sun out, Kemi left the Land of Grass and entered into a land that was beautiful, bright and very colourful. The ground was paved with gold. This land was called the Land of Gold and it was reported that the land flowed with milk and honey. In comparison with the Land of Grass, this Land of Gold was much more comfortable for Kemi. Since the ground was paved with gold, there was less pressure on Kemi’s feet. In addition, there were more people who were willing to walk and stand with Kemi on her journey. By 3 pm, there were around a thousand people walking with Kemi. Everyone was happy. Kemi’s entourage was like a carnival procession with all the spectators wearing colourful customs. There were several band parades, playing various songs to cheer Kemi on. Kemi could not have been happier– she was in the Land of Gold; there was no pressure on her feet; the sun was out and the day was very bright; she was in good company and was not lonely; she was listening to great music, which spurred her on her journey.

At 6:27 pm, the sun began to set and by 6:48 pm, it was dark. Kemi observed that as each minute passed, it was getting darker and darker. She also noticed that the ground on which she was walking was no longer as comfortable as it was, a couple of minutes ago. She saw a sign, which read: “Welcome To The Land Of The Unknown”. As Kemi stepped into the Land of the Unknown, the temperature suddenly dropped and it became very cold. As Kemi turned back, to check what was behind the sign that she had earlier read, she saw: “Welcome To The Land Of Gold”. At that moment, Kemi came to the realisation that she had left the Land of Gold and was now in the Land of the Unknown. The ground on which she was walking became very uncomfortable as it was littered with stones, broken glasses and reptiles—Kemi’s feet began to bleed. All of a sudden, she noticed that the music had stopped playing. She turned around and found out that her original entourage of a thousand people had whittled down to 50 people. She then continued her journey and went through many caves, valleys and tunnels. By 11:00 pm, the number of people following her had reduced to ten; by 12:00 am, the number had reduced to five and by 1:00 am Kemi noticed that there was nobody standing beside her.

As she pondered on what was going on, she fell to the ground wondering where everyone had gone. Kemi then heard a sound and as she lifted her head up, she saw a Man standing with his arms wide open. Suddenly, the darkness in the Land of the Unknown disappeared due to the light that radiated from this Man standing. The Man wore a robe that stretched down to his feet, and he had a gold sash around his chest. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. Kemi then cried: “MASTER!!!”

With a voice like the sound of rushing waters, the Man said: “Kemi, I can see that you are weary and burdened. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” With tears streaming from her eyes, Kemi ran towards the Master’s outstretched arms. As he hugged her, he wiped her tears and said: “You may be feeling all alone, but you must always have at the back of your mind that I am a present help in times of trouble and never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. I know what is best for you, after all, before you said goodbye to your parents in the morning, I was standing beside you. Infact I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb and even if your father and mother (talkless of friends, colleagues and cheer leaders) abandon you, I will hold you close.”

Standing beside the Master, a tearful Kemi asked: “Can you please explain my journey? What was it all about? Who were the people I met along the way?” The Master responded: “The journey you embarked on was the journey of life.  When you commenced your journey, you had great expectations. As you began your journey, you first entered the Land of Grass or the Greenland. This is a land of potential. The grass symbolises green shoots, which are indicators of a bright future. As these green shoots began to appear, you would have noticed that you felt more comfortable and that you had a hundred people willing to stand by and walk with you on your journey. As you entered the Land of Gold, your acquaintances increased ten fold. In this land, everything you touched turned to gold. People were willing to associate with you. While in the land of gold, you put your confidence in your fame, your riches and in mortal men who cannot save. Furthermore, in the Land of Gold, you failed to see that I was with you always.”

“When you entered the Land of the Unknown, you were shocked as this was not what you expected. You failed to realise that this was a phase that you had to go through as I was trying to refine you. After all I once said that I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. As you went through this period of affliction, the people standing with you began to reduce in number and that is one of the reasons why I said and still say that you should not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.” Kemi then said: “Master, I understand all that you are saying, but what I don’t understand is why some people still remained with me in the Land of the Unknown only to leave me all by myself at 1:00am?” The Master said: “These people have and still have good intentions towards you, I don’t want you to think that they are fair weathered. Unlike the others who stood by you up to the border of the Land of Gold, these people stood by you in times of crises, but it was difficult for them to remain with you all the time. Some of them had to leave you midway into the Land of the Unknown because they were tired and had to go to bed; some had to leave you midway into the Land of the Unknown because they had their own lives to live; some had to leave you midway into the Land of the Unknown because they did not know what the future held for you; some had to leave you midway into the Land of the Unknown because they just did not know what to say after seeing and feeling your pain for a season.”

In response Kemi said: “Master, now I get it. You are my friend and comforter. You are the lifter of my head. You are the Last Man Standing. You stood by me when I commenced my journey; you stood by me in the Land of Grass, you stood by me in the Land of Gold; you stood by me in the Land of the Unknown and you will stand by me into the Land of Promise. Thank you Master for standing with me.”

The Master replied: “Kemi, lets continue our journey to the Land of Promise; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

As she walked along with the Master, Kemi brought out her IPad from her rucksack, opened up the Safari application and tapped the link below to find out more about this Last Man Standing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE

Selah.

Ahmed Sule, CFA

31 October 2012