What Must I Live For?

In June 2004, the University of Cape Coast (UCC) - Ghana offered me admission to pursue a bachelor’s degree in African Studies, which had only been introduced a year ago. I was so excited about the offer because I had stayed home for three years after secondary school education – even though I had no papers to rewrite or re-sit.

Out of excitement, I promised my late father that I would graduate with unprecedented First Class in the field of African Studies. Definitely, I knew the stakes were high. Friends who had had admission to the UCC a year or two before mine told me about how difficult it was to graduate with a First Class.

This did not discourage me. I was still determined to achieve my target and redeem the promise I made to my father. Obviously, this implied that I had to work extra hard. I read as much as I could. I lived like a student – I avoided anything, including conjugal relationships – that could easily sway me from my studies. I read extra materials to provide what was known at the UCC as “evidence of further reading.” I also used two weeks to learn how to type – through the facilitation of Mavis Beacon Software.

In all of this, I had some peculiar challenges. I barely had enough money. I did not have a computer (beyond occasional borrowings from my friends). I never had a mobile phone until the end of 2006. I depended solely on my Social Security and National Insurance Trust allowance – which was woefully inadequate – to pay school fees, rent, and buy books. I had no interest in clothing, since I had no money for that.

I consolidated my efforts in a tightly-knitted disciplined lifestyle. I attended church service only once a week – Sundays, where I taught the Bible. Instead, I spent time explaining academic concepts to friends – to ensure that I was well-grounded. I also invested every money I had in books. I had limited time for student politics – even though I established myself as a manifesto writer for student politicians. But to gain grounds in leadership, I contested and won as the first elected vice president of my department’s association – African Studies Students Association.

The heaven’s smiled on my efforts and I graduated with unprecedented First Class in B.A. African Studies in 2008. It was all joy when part of my graduation was screened on national television. While my father could not attend the graduation ceremony, he had the chance of viewing the part that showed me receiving a standing ovation from the invited dignitaries in the news. Receiving a standing ovation as a First Class student was an important tradition most students covert.

Graciously, I maintained my record at the African Studies Department (now Centre of African and International Studies) for nearly a decade. The First Class certificate has taken me to places and offered me important opportunities in life. My labour paid off.

But has the joy of graduating with First Class remained with me forever? Since graduating in 2008, I am sure that students who came five years after I left the UCC may never know me or even hear about me. It is also true that the euphoria of the First Class that I experienced in 2008 has vanished into a thin air. Currently, I am not satisfied with the First Class. Of course, at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, where I studied for my Master of Philosophy in African Studies, I was awarded for academic excellence in 2010.

In all of this, I am still not satisfied. The lack of satisfaction in me implies that I was created for something higher and bigger than earthly glories. This observation has been aptly made by St Augustine, Blaise Pascal, and C.S. Lewis. Obviously, I was wired and created for something higher than a First Class or anything material.

I am still working hard to contribute significantly to human life on earth, but I now have a higher purpose to live for. I take inspiration from my Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. Jesus left the glories of His Kingdom to die for me on the cross. It was the ultimate sacrifice He paid on my behalf. Simply state: He took my place and died for me.

Turning to Apostle Paul, he was well educated and deeply religious. He attained excellence in every sphere of life. And yet, when Christ called him, Paul he considered all things insignificant, compared to the glories of eternity. Paul left everything he ever accomplished to pursue the quest for eternal glory.

If I sacrificed everything of mine – which was rightly important – to achieve excellence in academic pursuit, why can’t I equally sacrifice the temporal blessings of the material world to attain a higher glory – a glory that is eternal and not subject to corruption? Why must I allow earthly transient pleasure to rob me of eternal bliss? Why shouldn’t I mortify my body to pursue a higher call – live a holy life to God’s glory?

One day, my name would be recorded among the dead. One day, people would write about me in the past tense. One day, none of the things I am diligently working for would accompany me to the other-world. One day, I will leave everything behind – including my certificates, awards, and family. One day, I will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

If all the glories of this world are temporary, then it means that I have to give my all to receive what is permanent. It means I have to persevere and diligently pursue righteousness that is attainable in Christ. It also means that I have to shun all the illusions of earthly pleasure to lay hold of eternal glory. Most importantly, it means that I have to carry my cross – deny myself – and exchange it for a crown someday. Charles Spurgeon was apt: “There is no crown bearer in heaven who was not a cross bearer on earth.”

Soon and very soon, the King of kings and the Lord of lords will appear in His glory. Soon and very soon, the Lord will call me home. If the Lord will come – and, surely, He will – what price must I pay to gain the prize – eternal glory? I have to commit myself to the things of the Lord – reading the Bible, sharing the good news about Jesus Christ, and investing in spiritual exercises such as the singing of hymns and prayers.

This is not coterminous as saying that I must remain passive in the things of the world. But what it means is that I will pursue all earthly functions – education, writing, and work – with eternity in view. This reminds me of the song we used to sing many years ago, “I have another world in view.” If I have another world in view, I live for that world which is glorious.

I encourage all my readers to consider pursuing the glories of the other-world. This earth is earmarked for destruction (basic Economic law of diminishing returns affirms this). Nothing on this earth has durability. Let us, therefore, lay aside all the things that burden our journey towards eternal bliss. Look up where Christ is seated and build your treasure there. If my earthly labour towards academic excellence paid off, my labour towards heaven will equally pay off in higher returns. One day, the Lord will give me a standing ovation.

Satyagraha

Charles Prempeh ([email protected]), African University College of Communications, Accra