Mind The Gap...


Because some platforms on the London Underground are curved and the rolling stock that uses them are straight, an unsafe gap is created when a train stops at a curved platform.[4] In the absence of a device to fill the gap, some form of visual and auditory warning is needed to advise passengers of the risk of being caught unaware and sustaining injury by stepping into the gap. The phrase "Mind the gap" was chosen for this purpose and can be found painted along the edges of curved platforms as well as heard on recorded announcements played when a train arrives at many Underground stations. Wikipedia
 
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You often hear and see signs with the warning “mind the gap” when you’re on the London underground. Its so glaring, you can’t miss noticing it. You’re reminded to mind the gap between the train and the platform, because sometimes you get so distracted by all your thoughts, the music plugged in your ears, conversation with a friend or the paper or book you’re engrossed in that you absentmindedly get on and off the train, but those announcements cuts into your thoughts and you’re quite deliberate with getting on and off the train… it’ll cause an avoidable havoc if your carelessness causes your feet to slip into the gap. That seemingly small gap is a big problem if you slip and fall in. There’s delay with the trains and probably injury that completely derails you from arriving at where you’re going to at the time you want it get there, if you get there at all.

Mind the gap; Guard your heart.

We should have such warnings to guard our hearts everywhere we turn. We shouldn’t get so distracted by life, that we forget to remember to ‘mind the gap’, guard our hearts as we hop on trains from one season to the other… when we don’t deliberately guard what gets into our hearts, its easy to slip and fall into that gap leading to self inflicted injuries of depression, strife and offense. And we know it’s hard to continue your journey when you’re injured with strife in your heart.

This is your reminder to mind the gap/guard your heart. Don’t be distracted by the relationships that have gone sour… (no relationship should be so tasking that it distracts you and makes you so weary that you don’t pay attention) don’t be distracted by your desires… not even money, your needs or wants should be big enough to distract you… falling or slipping into that small hole is of bigger consequences, God is too big for you to limit him or lock him down to your distractions of self. Don’t get tangled in the small… those seemingly small issues have bigger consequences.
We’re so distracted by self, that we don’t pay attention to where we’re going, thus easily fall in the gap of strife of offense. With self-centeredness, it’s easy to fall into the gap of offense, and the feeling of being offended broods more injuries than we can handle, causing a larger damage.
People would hurt you yes. You gave your all for that relationship and in the end, you weren’t treated right, stop brooding on me me me… and get over it. Dust the dirt, move on, forgive, as hard as it seems… and it is hard, because you have legit reasons to be mad at that person, to wish them evil… but you realize that making a decision to not pay attention to how the hurt is affecting you sets you free and saves you from a lot… it takes a decision to not dwell on the hurt, to let go and wish the person well… its good riddance for you. Treat the open wound, let it heal and move on. Many girls especially have fallen into this gap of bitterness, and we cant blame them, but it doesn’t make it good for them. Not everything that is right is good for you. Some drugs as much as they come with their healing abilities, have adverse side effects much worse than what they cure. Your heart doesn’t need that.

People would come to talk, to distract, to share grievances, to entice you with pity so you start to pick on the wound that is healing, letting anger lay hold of you and soon your heart gets so intertwined with bitterness, you fall in the gap and end up delaying yourself from the better that the train you should have boarded was supposed to take you to. Forget the past and move!

People would talk about you, good and bad words would slip into your hearing… don’t dwell on them, or as you take in too much candy of the good words you hear, when the bitterness of the bad comes, it affects your mood and you stay wounded and distracted by self, too distracted by being so focused on this opinions to mind the gap and you fall a victim of your own self-centeredness… Take heed to those things lest at anytime they make you slip… Stop opening your mind to irrelevant things.
You’re not truly free until you are free from the opinions of men.” Moyo Akin-Ojo

I recently began to realize that most times, self-centeredness/pride is the cause of most of the issues we go through. It was a hard truth to take in, but I did take it in.
When we fail at something, why do we feel so beat up? Most times, its because we’re so concerned about reputation, what people would say, how they would laugh… and so we refuse to try again to save face. We let failure define us because we’re so selfish… dwelling on self.
I recently hosted an event and it went well… but I was so full of self at some point that I forgot the motive/vision of what the event was about, and I kept sulking instead of enjoying myself, I sulked so much I couldn’t speak well when I held the mic, I sulked so much, I missed out on doing something important God instructed me to do during the event… You see, I was so distracted by self that I was almost falling into the gap, I quickly realized what was happening to me and I repented. Did I follow my dreams in hosting the event? Yes. Was it successful? Yes… it only didn’t go the way my self wanted it to go… in a way that I’d have glorified self.

I have tried to convince myself that I hate public speaking; I would rather write all I want to say and give people to read… I’m so concerned about how I sound and if I’ll look good doing it or what the people are thinking that I forget that there is a higher purpose to my being called to speak… and I have to stop being such a selfish person to overcome the fears and just do it… the Nike way.
There are many things many people dream of doing… things they have pictured in their hearts for as long as they can remember, but are so selfish with their fear of failure that they don’t even try to step out. Every legit reason for not trying has an undertone of selfishness. Mind the gap, guard your heart, and don’t fall into that trap of being so engulfed with self that you miss out on so much.
God sent Jesus to die, knowing we had a free will to choose to believe and accept Him or not… but He did it anyway, not holding back on His vision/dream because He feared no one would accept this sacrifice… He did it anyway, moving beyond self and it’s paid off, because every day, people’s hearts are surrendered to the power of this love and the sacrifice of the cross.

Refusing to forgive people who’ve hurt you in one way or the other is a sure way of slipping into the gap and not getting on the train… you’re justified in your offense, just as God is justified in His being angry at us, but He chose not to exercise His rights, instead He forgave us ALL, through Jesus death. If He could do it, what’s our excuse? God isn’t a selfish or self-centered God, He thought of us above all… He doesn’t dwell on how much we hurt Him, or how we offend Him, or how after all He’s done for us, we throw His love in the trashcan every chance we get… Instead He dwells on how much He loves us. The blood of Jesus is His eternal ‘mind the gap’ reminder that He can never be angry with us anymore.
Let the same blood and the love that allowed it spill be our own eternal reminder that we are equipped to let go… that we have been equipped to move on from the past into the future. We are equipped to rise above every hurt and disappointment and move on to better. Let the blood be a reminder that we can guard our hearts and chose to rise above shame and despair without falling into the gap of depression and condemnation, that trap of self-pity that only helps in disrupting our journey.

Guard your heart because out of it comes issues of life… when your heart is wounded, everything around you, every issue you face mirrors the wound in your heart… you deal with people based on the hurt you experience, and distrust causes contempt which just deepens the wound some more.
 
Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
    that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
    avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
    ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
    and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
    leave evil in the dust. Proverbs 4:23-27(MSG)

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