Once upon a time, 10 virgins were chosen to meet the bridegroom at a certain marriage ceremony in Israel. For some unstated reason, the bridegroom didn’t seem to be arriving and the virgins started getting apprehensive. Actually, in the custom that existed in Israel, the bridegroom usually arrived late at night with his friends to take his bride. The bride usually has maids of honour or bride’s maids as the case may be who at the arrival of the bridegroom go out to meet him with their lamps in their hands to light his way into the house where his bride is. The key element of the bride’s maids is the lamp that provides light for the bridegroom and his envoy.
In this particular story, the bride’s maids were ten in number and 5 were said to be wise while 5 were said to be foolish. When the bridegroom eventually showed up, he met only the wise bride’s maids who he accepted and certified and disallowed the participation of the foolish bride’s maids. The foolish bride’s maids have gone to buy oil for their lamps when the bridegroom arrived and so were not there to welcome him with their light and consequently were locked out of the ceremony. This seems to be quite instructional for me in a season like this. A season where in Nigeria, the president has no clue as to what the year 2009 holds for Nigerians. He can give no direction, no assurances, no commitments to alleviate the fear of Nigerians. A season where the Stock Exchange has crashed and the financial sector is tethering dangerously on the edge. A season where firing might become more lucrative than hiring. A few lessons I have outlined below.
1. Integrity
The bride’s maids were virgins. They had not corrupted themselves sexually. In fact their virginity was what qualified them for selection as bride’s maids. In these times, where economic recession has set in world wide, where people have lost so much confidence and trust in the systems (especially financial) that should have delivered positive returns for them, they will begin to look to those who through time have exhibited their Integrity and Honesty. Those who have never sought gain wrongly from the public. Whose words have not been spoken lightly in the past. These ones will the world look up to for the purpose of shedding light or bringing illumination that will guide them (bridegroom) to their desired financial goals (bride). The major characteristic that will qualify anyone to be a major leader of thought who will become a leader in these times by reason of those who willingly will decide to follow him/her is Integrity.
2. Lamp and Light
Even though what qualified the bride’s maids to act in that respect was Integrity (Virginity), what they carry is what will convince the bridegroom (the world) to accept and follow them or to lock them out. It is not sufficient to have integrity. Alongside the integrity, one must have illumination and insight for the purpose of directing and leading the bridegroom (world). In the story all the virgins had lamps but not allof them had lights in their lamps when the bridegroom arrived. Everyone in world who has integrity has a lamp (potential for wisdom, insight and direction for the world) in him/her but not everyone has light burning in his lamp. Some people’s lamps are devoid of oil and so can not show light. To be relevant in these times, it’s inadequate to have a lamp; there must be light burning in that lamp.
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