UNDER-RATED UNDERDOG

Wud up people? It’s still your boy- velli… how are y’all doing? Still here, doing what I do … staying alive. A lot’s been happening lately, but in all things, we give thanks to God. I have not been so regular in my writing these days… really sorry about that.

There is a popular saying that says that “pride goes before a fall”… I mean before a great fall… came across it here and there and it kinda caught my attention. I wonder what will give another man like myself the right to feel better or superior to my humble self for any reason under the earth. Does he not breathe the same air… like me? Does he not depend on food to survive… like me? Does he not go to bed… not knowing what tomorrow might bring? Does he not live… not knowing when the end might come… just like me? Does he not go to the toilet… and do justice (shit) when nature calls… just like me? What will make you feel so big, so proud and so arrogant? Is it the little change you have stashed in some account?

I went to submit some forms at the Ministry of Works some days back, after searching for about 30 minutes, I finally found the office, the receptionist kept me waiting for almost 2 hours before allowing me to see the man… so this man has been in the office all this time and didn’t feel like seeing anybody? A lot of things went thru my small mind while waiting…. Well, knocked and walked in, I saw a young man seated, face down, busy with a celebrity gossip magazine, I walked to his table and greeted politely, he raised his face looked at me and just continued doing what he was doing… (doing justice to that magazine) I greeted again assuming he did not hear the first greeting…. But he didn’t even respond… he was very busy indeed… I just stood there… for about 30 minutes…. Then finally he said…Can I help you?

So because God was merciful to you to put you in a position of authority, now you want play God? (Just a thought). I submitted the forms… and left his office feeling cool, as usual. What can I do... but to do what I came to do. I was only surprised that at this age and time, people can still be this ignorant; I don’t envy them at all. (Proverbs 3:27-32)
When people start looking down on fellow human beings, their downfall is near. The only thing higher than man is God, not even the angels, so why should a fellow man look down on you because he is well placed or richer or stronger than you.

The Super Eagles (Nigerian National Football Team) used to look down on other teams from smaller countries until when we learnt the bitter way, Gabon beat us by a lone goal to hinder us from going to the world cup some years back…. It was so painful. We also did the same with Angola, and we paid direly by missing the Germany 2006 world cup, serves us right. In the spirit of competition, if you win, thank God for giving you the grace, don’t feel like some big shot, with your shoulders touching the sky… it’s by God’s grace.(Proverbs 3:5-7) in my short life, I have seen champions defeated on the day of reckoning simply because they under estimated their opponents, I have seen very intelligent students fail exams, not because they did not study hard or knew the right answers, it was simply over-confidence. “I am better than everyone else, I can beat you with my eyes closed, I am the best there is, I can beat you silly, even on a bad day”… Who told you that?

Brazil underrated the Nigerian Olympic team at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, they still can’t say what happened to them, but their fall in that competition would best be described as “humpty-dumpty”, as written in the history books.
Never under estimate the power of God in any situation, don’t get carried away by your achievements and success…”If not for me, this would have happened, if not for my expertise…that would have happened, if not for my being clever and smart…. We would have lost that deal….” Who the hell are you? .... What can you do on your own?
Some people can’t just say two sentences without giving themselves all the glory and honour that should be given to God. “I did this at age 17… I achieved that at age 22… I made my millions at before age 25… if not for my hard work and determination…I won’t be where I am today…bla bla bla.”

Mike Tyson under estimated James Buster Douglas before their boxing bout in Japan in the early nineties, and that was the beginning of his fall; he never recovered from that defeat…. He was never the same again… let’s just say, that was the last he saw of the world boxing title.

If you think you are a giant like Goliath, then wait for the underrated underdog called David to put you in your right place, it will shock you. If someone had told Goliath not to go to that war, he would probably call you insane and cut off your head for insulting him…because the pride, arrogance and over-confidence wouldn’t let him listen to you. Some people are so full of themselves that there is hardly any space for the spirit of God to come into their lives, yet they call themselves Christians… am so sorry for them because they are just fooling themselves. The greatest virtue of Christ was humility… that guy was humble to a fault… and I love him for that… I wish I could be that humble, it’s not easy but I am still trying. The only way to be lifted up is to be down to earth, the way up the ladder of life is down, the way to heaven is six feet underground, (ha ha ha… just joking).

My father once told me that “sometimes a man has to be big enough to see how small he is”. Even after David was anointed the King of Israel, he was humble enough to still flee from Saul, respect him and had no hand in his death.


Some people just can’t help oppressing people around them in order to stay relevant, to flex some muscles to scare their subordinates. I have heard of women going as far as brutalizing their housemaids, just to show who is the boss in the house, what for? In some homes, when the children hear daddy’s car coming, they scamper for safety like rats, why? Which is why when they go to homes where there is true love of God, where parents care, they refuse to go home. Some men are natural monsters… they specialize in killing the joy of people around them, their wives, children, workers in the office, any where they go…. Listen Goliath, repent before you meet a David that will put you in your right place and that’s gonna be shameful. Why must your workers flee like mice when they see you coming around?

Lest I forget, when Peter gave in to hardship and decided to go back to his fishing business after working for 3 years with Christ, he convinced other disciples to go with him…. This was after they witnessed all the miracles, ate with the master, watched him die and resurrect. Listen, am not preaching, but you and I know that Peter fucked up big time… this time he blew it. How could you forsake your Master after all you’ve been thru with Him… well he did. When the Master came or appeared, I want you to observe what transpired… Jesus did not start by scolding him…men, am disappointed in you, Peter, you fucked up big time… Pete, you are fired… am so disappointed in you… am gonna do this… am gonna do that… you ingrate…after all I did for you… after all I taught you…how could you disgrace me like this… you are a huge disappointment… bla bla bla… (John 21:1-25).
Observe how Jesus reprimands him…. In a gentle and polite manner, talking to his conscience (Do you love me?) and Brother Peter felt sorry for his mistake…that’s what it’s meant to be.


If you truly love God, why will treat another people like a piece of trash? It was because of the love that Jesus had for mind kind that made Him to die for us, while we were yet sinners, even when we were unwilling to repent… some of us still haven’t. If you truly love the Lord, why not love the way He loved, care the way He cared, have compassion the way He did, and feel for your brothers instead of acting like some modern day Robocop.

In a situation where you are the underdog, stay focused cos you might bring a giant down soon, its only servants that can be promoted to leaders, and leaders either remain leaders or get demoted. So there is nothing bad in being the underdog…. And nothing bad in being the giant, it’s our ideologies that matters, our perception of life that makes the difference. If you see your fellow man in need like a brother in need, and you are touched by his condition and moved to help, in any small way possible according to your ability, then you are on the right path. Both Christianity and Islam preaches about humility, so when I see people misbehave because of the elevated platform that God has put them, I feel like weeping, cos if you can’t be a good leader that God wants you to be, then you have failed Him (and failed yourself too).

During the Monica Lewinsky case, Bill Clinton said “at any point you find yourself, life will always find a way to humble you, just to keep you in check and this is the case now, being the president of the most powerful country in world puts me in a very sensitive position, but God has used this situation to teach me a thing or two about life”

In conclusion, your position as an underrated underdog does not hinder you from achieving your dreams in life; it is just a temporary platform. A lot of successful businessmen started out as underdogs, drop outs, write offs, never-do-wells (whatever that means)… if God cannot forsake you, or look down on you, and then you should not bother about what people say or do to you now, pray they live to see what you become in future and then they will glorify God for your life.

They killed Jesus thinking that they would stop his mission, they only helped him fulfill it… ha ha ha, they planned against Daniel so as to make him compromise his faith and that resulted to his being thrown into the lion’s den. God just used that situation to promote him. They threw the three Hebrew children into the burning furnace, hoping to destroy their destiny… they ended up making them celebrities. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery thinking that they were pushing him down the success ladder… they were actually doing the opposite… ha ha ha, (they sent him to Egypt to go and fulfill his destiny without knowing it), what makes you think that your wicked boss is not doing the same?

I would like to close on this note, got to go now cos its getting late, wanna say thanks to all of you, for dropping by, sending me mails and making comments, am really grateful, thanks for your time and please do drop by again…so long… still your boy… velli.