IN LOVING MEMORY OF

MRS MODUPE OLUFUNMILAYO JAIYESIMI

1936–2026

GOD WANTS US TO GET HOME SAFE

There is something very humbling about learning. It often transports us to our younger years, when learning was the order of the day. We learned to walk, to speak, to read, to write and so much more.

I fondly look back on when I learned to drive. Learning to drive required a lot of humility because, although I was already skilled at the rudiments of how to move a car from point A to point B, I had to practise driving on busy roads during the morning rush before getting my driver’s licence.

Most of the practice I did was with my amazing parents. On one of my first drives after getting my licence, I remember them telling me to be cautious when driving, to obey the traffic rules and to be especially mindful of other drivers. Even though I was skilled enough to drive on my own, not every driver was like me.

They told me all these things because they wanted me to get home safe.

Life is like a road. We are on a very, very long drive, and home is Heaven.

Life is a beautiful journey. It starts when we are born, and for those who belong to Christ, it ends at home with Him.

As beautiful as life is, God wants us to get home safe. He does not want us to get home barely hanging by a thread. This does not mean that life is automatically a smooth-sailing journey. There are hills and there are valleys.

In our case, the traffic rules are the Word of God. It guides and teaches us what to do, what not to do and how to relate with other drivers.

The best part is that when our tank is running low and almost empty, we have direct access to God for Him to refuel us.

There is no fuel scarcity for His children; our God is a God of abundance!

Scripture gives us beautiful examples of people who stayed faithful throughout the journey. Two of them are Joseph, the dreamer (Genesis 37, 39–50), and Daniel (Daniel 1–8). Their stories are those of people who started and finished well.

Joseph was sold into slavery, falsely accused and then imprisoned, while Daniel was captured at a young age by King Nebuchadnezzar II. He was also thrown into a lions’ den because he continued to pray to God.

Evidently, their lives were not devoid of struggles. Despite what they went through, they remained men of integrity and unwavering faith.

It would have been easy for them to turn from their good ways and justify it with their struggles, but they remained steadfast.

Joseph lived a long life and saw his children’s children to the third generation (Genesis 50:23), and Daniel faithfully served the king in his old age (Daniel 8:27).

A real-life example of starting well and finishing well can also be seen in the exemplary life of my grandmother, Mrs Modupe Olufunmilayo Jaiyesimi, or Grandma Jay, as we fondly called her.

I would describe Grandma Jay as someone who remained faithful till the end.

Grandma loved the LORD, her family and her community. You could tell by how much of her time and treasure she invested in them.

Although there were hills and there were valleys, Grandma Jay got home safe.

At the end of her road, I know her words were:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

2 Timothy 4:7–8

GOOD NIGHT, GRANDMA JAY!

SLEEP WELL!

IFEOLUWA JAIYESIMI ©

The Revolutionary Righter ©