This is Yinka’s Dilemma, her pains, her struggles and her escape

When next? When the light is out of the day, your rainbow lost its colour and your sun lost its shine?

Yinka moaned and groaned as she kept turning and tossing on her bed. With a bloodshot eye she slightly peeked outside the window of her room and noticed the moon has lost its star, the star has lost its lush as well. She relaxed back on her bed but her mind was far from being relaxed. It was weighed down and burdened.

She’d been like this for two weeks. If asked how she felt, her honest response would be that ‘It seemed the light has gone out of her day. Her DAYLIGHT is loss. The shine has gradually departed from her sun. Her SUNSHINE no more. Her sun has refused to rise. No SUNRISE. Worst still, the colours in her rainbow has all taken a bow. A Colourless RAINBOW.

Life threw an expected curve her way, her supposed fiancé of 4 years called it quit. This jumpstarted the noisome pestilence which resulted in an automated sunset in her life and endeavour. Her whole life seemed as if in a dark hole with no way of escape in sight.

As the seconds ticked into minutes and the minutes counts into hours and hours turned to hours, she knew she was going to lose her mind if she didn’t get out of this dark hole. She searches for a path to freedom. The winning way.

Yinka stood up from her bed and scurried to her dad’s cabinet. Luckily, it was opened. She brought out a hot alcoholic gin. Poured some shots into a glass she found on the table and gushed it down her throat. Her oesophagus burned like fire. She held her throat, as if to cool and calm the heat but to no avail. She made to drink cold water but it gave no resolve. She burst into tears. Felt on her knee and had a good cry. There was no one to comfort her. She was all alone in the big house. She feared for her life but one thing she had promised herself was not to take her own life. That would be an extreme and a NO! NO! for her.

A few minutes later, she critically thought about what she could do to help herself regain her sanity. Lots of things crossed her mind but they were no solution.

Her mind broods on some keywords like … loss of daylight, sunshine no more! No sunrise, no moonstar, colourless rainbow and many depressive terms. Suddenly, it occurred to her that she was battling with depression. She needs help! She needs therapy!

Her mind settled for spiritual therapy. A bible passage came instantly to mind. Prov. 17:22: A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.

Yes, it’s clear to her now. What she needs is a joyful, positive outlook on things. She needs JOY. Joy is the opposite of every negative emotional illness. She needs joy therapy to scale through.

THE FINAL WORD – TAKE HOME FOR US ALL

Today, most people are trying to find joy in something or someone outside of themselves. You may wish to ask: where exactly did God place this joy? Why is joy so scarce or unattainable?

As humans, we search for joy everywhere but in all the wrong places and what we get is a fraction of the real deal.  

Joy is our birthright, it is God’s intention for all His children. 1 Thessa. 5:16-18 says, ‘Be joyful always; give thanks in all circumstances, for this God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ Therefore, as children of God, we are rightful heirs to the blessing of overflowing joy.

Having joy does not mean that your life is perfect. It doesn’t even mean that your life is great. What it means is that you emphatically trust God and believe that He has great plans for your life, regardless of what is happening right now.

• Joy is the result of sustained right thinking and dwelling on the nature and character of God. 
• Joy is an outward sign of inward faith in the promises of God. 

• Joy is not a distant destination at which you arrive; rather, it’s a path you choose to travel each day.                                                           
• Joy is a sum and substance of emotional health. It is a state of mind that must be deliberately cultivated if you are determined to live and love and influence others as God intended.

Written by – ESTHER OYEBOLA ADEKOYA

ALSO READ: How I got the inspiration for “mo ti gba letter ayo”- Gbemi Olaleye