July, 2026 - Oludare Akinbo

Elijah’s Broom Tree: The Power of Rest and Support

Some afternoons my thoughts churn without permission, and a sentence rises that I did not invite: “The dead indeed are lucky.” It is not despair exactly. It is a tired man’s quiet arithmetic, weighing the noise of this world against the stillness of the grave. If that sentence has ever visited you too, you are in better company than you might think.

The Power of Sorrow: Honest Worship In Tears

“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.” (Job 1:20, NKJV)

Read that verse slowly. Job did not hide his grief. He tore his robe, the outward sign of a heart torn apart. He shaved his head, a mark of mourning in his culture. He fell to the ground.

When the Weaver Bird Builds Alone

If you grew up around the towns of south-western Nigeria, Ado-Ekiti and places like it, you will know this sight: a big old tree standing alone in a compound or by the roadside, its branches sagging under dozens of golden, teardrop-shaped nests that swing in the wind as if the tree had decided to wear jewellery.

Overcoming Despair: The Power of Faith in Hardship

The rains keep coming. In Lagos, in Accra and across West Africa, floodwaters rise. Beneath them run deeper currents: a tightening economy, political uncertainty and insecurity weighing on families. And in the middle of it all, something darker spreads. Despair.

When the floods rise and money runs short, the mind does not whisper. It shouts: your situation is permanent.