Climbing was a skill I developed naturally as a child. We had a lot of trees in our family compound, including mango, paw-paw, sour-sop, guava, cashew, avocado, and coconut. We also had a garden where we cultivated crops like maize and cassava. Despite the numerous trees in our compound, some of my older siblings and I were more interested in climbing the mango tree in our adjacent neighbor's compound, so much so that we named each branch after the people who claimed ownership of that branch. The branch I oversaw was named after me and our neighbor's son Osazee. We called it our "house" and took charge of the mangoes produced by that branch, as was the case with other “houses” claimed by my siblings and the other children. 

However, my father often cautioned us against climbing that mango tree, especially me as I was the youngest and still very inexperienced. He constantly warned my siblings against taking me to climb the tree. Furthermore, as the tree grew taller, thicker, and sturdier, its height from the ground became scarier. But these factors never deterred us. So, one day while our parents were at work, we embarked on our usual routine of swarming the tree and then gleaning and munching as many mangoes as we could. But this time, I fell from the mango tree and broke my left arm. The injury was severe, and I was in excruciating pain for about two months. My dad was angry that our disobedience caused my injury, and he thoroughly disciplined my older siblings.

Surprisingly, as the years passed, I became what I would term “the chief climber” in my family, the one mostly given the responsibility of climbing different trees to get fruits. Even Dad—who had vehemently protested me climbing—authorized it now that I was more mature.

Thinking back, I realize that my dad was trying to protect me from the pain and hurt he knew I could encounter due to my inexperience. He wanted me to learn, understand, and build capacity to handle such a risky venture as climbing. It reminds me of Moses in the Bible who prematurely and desperately wanted to save his enslaved people, the Israelites, from their sufferings by killing an Egyptian who was mistreating one of them. However, his action backfired, and he had to flee from Egypt (Exodus 2:11-15). Moses did eventually deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians forty years later (Exodus 13:3), in God’s timing, after developing his leadership skills and abilities in the wilderness.

More often than not, we are in so much hurry to attain certain things or reach certain levels in life when, in fact, we haven’t built the appropriate skills or character that will help us achieve and sustain those goals. But God wants us to totally depend on Him for guidance and wait on His timing, according to His plans for our lives (Isaiah 60:22). May we remember that His intentions for us are always for our good. 

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